


Mythical Brew

by ElectricDove



Series: Mythical Brew: rhink coffee shop au [1]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe, Coffee Shops, Getting Together, Link owns a coffeeshop, M/M, Rhett is his favorite customer, The crew knows what's up, crew - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-05-23 12:39:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6116747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricDove/pseuds/ElectricDove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coffee shop AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I really wanted to write a coffeeshop AU. I know it's a big cliche, but I love them a lot! And I wanted to incorporate the Mythical Crew in it, so I hope you like it.  
> 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Link, his Mythical crew and fave customer Rhett.

Link opens the backdoor to let himself in and is greeted with a chorus of ‘good mornings’ from his morning crew.

“Morning y'all.” 

Leaving the break room in search of his first cup of coffee he runs into Stevie who’s holding two big cups emitting a delicious smelling aroma.  
“Hey boss. Made one for you already. I tried the new blend, smells good right?”

Link takes a deep sniff from the offered cup and takes a small sip. Rich flavors and a good dose of caffeine. :This will sell nicely. I bet he will like it..:  
“Tastes great Stevie. I bet the smell alone will attract some extra customers today..”

He continues to their small shared office where he hangs his coat. Enzo is already sleeping in the corner, waiting till his owner arrives back later that morning to work beside him.

-

Link started 'Mythical Brew’ almost 8 years ago. He just moved to Los Angeles with a passion for coffee and a need to work around people. Knowing the right people helped him in securing a great deal with the building. The neighborhood was perfect to start a coffee shop; upcoming, with lots of people who are willing to pay something extra for good coffee.  
Over the years he expanded to tea, healthy juices and different baked goods. As his business began to pick up he’d needed to hire more people.  
Link was glad the day Stevie walked in and applied for the job of manager. She had taken over a lot of his worries, making sure everything behind the scenes worked smoothly. 

 

With her he’d now employed a team of over 10 people; baristas, bakers and supporting staff. All of them young and hip people.  
Together they made the 'Mythical Brew’ a respected and well visited coffee shop, receiving numerous enthusiastic reviews and a loyal base of customers.  
Even though he was at least ten years older than most of employees or his customers, he never felt old or out of touch. Working with these people energized him and every morning he woke up happy to work another day.

-

Link walks back to the break room, coffee still in hand. Stevie is just doing her morning debriefing, filling everyone in on the new brews Ben and Morgan concocted over the weekend. Everyone’s ready to go, the cozy room filled with energy. Monday mornings are always busy, Los Angeles people getting ready to work and lots of customers who are in a hurry because they’re already running late. 

After Link’s motivational “Make good coffee, people!”, they leave the break room and get set at their stations. The coffee machines are already warmed up, everything is set up for the morning shift.

Link looks over at Eddie, Alex, Lizzie and Jen behind the counter. The two men are bantering while they prepare their coffee machines, Lizzie and Jen looking more serious as they check their supplies for today. Jen is famous around here for her healthfreak smoothies and juices, but the gluten free muffins and other baked goods Lizzie prepares are becoming more popular every day. 

Mike and Chase open up the big doors, setting up their outdoor sign and a couple of chairs while Link and Stevie hang back. He will work the register, used to the pressure of rush hour.

“Hope he’s gonna show up after the rush, you’re no good when you’re all flustered and distracted..”  
Link looks over at Stevie, used to her sassy tone by now. He knows exactly who’s she’s talking about, but he always plays dumb. After all these years they know each other well.  
“What are you talking about? I don’t get distracted!”  
Stevie lets out a melodious laugh as she turns to work in their office. “Sure boss. Tell the big man I said Hi.”  
He watches her walk away as he chuckles to himself. Seeing the first customer walk in and place his order he walks over to the enormous wooden workbench.  
After his third customer he’s on a roll, barely thinking about Stevie’s remark and certainly not thinking about his favorite customer who may or may not visit after the rush.

-

He’s laughing with Hannah, one of his more loyal patrons. Now that rush hour is over he has more time to socialize with people. She comments on his new hairstyle and he runs his hands through it self-consciously. The soft strands feel strangely short after so long with the same hairstyle. Sometimes he misses his wings, but he’s very happy with the more modern style. Especially after numerous compliments from certain people.

A warm familiar voice interrupts them.  
“Don’t mess it all up now. It’s looking great. Well, it was looking great..”  
Link can’t help but smile as he turns to greet his favorite customer.  
“Good morning Rhett.”  
“Good morning to you too Link.”

The two men smile brightly at each other and they don’t even notice as Hannah slinks away, knowing when she’s redundant.

“How are you today? Had a nice weekend, anything fun?”  
“I’m good, great actually! Went mountain biking yesterday, didn’t even fall this time!”  
Rhett smiles with his entire face, lifting his cheeks up in the process. He knows Link’s proclivity to injuring himself and always warns him to be more careful.  
“That’s good! So no new bruises to show me then?” Link feels himself blush at that. Their banter has turned into something a bit flirtatious lately, but he doesn’t know if Rhett’s aware of this, if it’s intentional or just him being friendly. The last time he’d injured himself while biking, Rhett jokes he should get a bike as well to ride with him and protect him from being reckless. Link had spend some time flustered and thinking about a mountain bike date, before he reprimanded himself for being silly.

:He doesn’t know what he’s saying. Just friendly. Remember, he’s probably not gay.:

“No new bruises, my body’s all fine now. So, what did you order today? Did you try the new blend? It’s amazing, I think it will be right up your ally.”

He doesn’t miss the wandering eyes up his body, definitely not regretting his tight shirt this morning.

“Yeah, Eddie recommended it to me. Smells great. And I’m always willing to try something new.” Rhett winks at him as he hands over some cash to pay for his coffee. He feels flushed and a little bit confused. :That was definitely flirting, right..:

-

Occupying his mind he decides to clean up from the rush and organize the counter, before he allows himself to go over to where Rhett is working on his laptop at his usual table. 

Alex takes his place at the register, now the rush is over Eddie can handle the coffee machines by himself. Chase is walking around, cleaning up left behind plates and cups. He drops them off at Mike, who’s already washing up.  
Jen is chopping up more oranges, while Lizzie is helping her with peeling ginger.

Link takes off his apron, folding it neatly on the counter before he grabs a fresh cup of coffee and a waiting bowl with cereal. :They know me too well: He shoots a grateful smile over to Lizzie, knowing she is responsible for the homemade cereal.  
Finally ready for his own breakfast, he walks over to his favorite customer.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where there’s flirting, delicious cakes and interfering crewmembers.

Rhett is engrossed in his laptop, absentmindedly sipping from his coffee mug.  
“Mind if I join you?”

Even though for the last 6 weeks or so he’s sat down to eat his breakfast in the Rhett’s company, Link still insists on asking the same question. He doesn’t want to seem intrusive and wants Rhett to have the option of declining. He’s friendly with his customers, but he doesn’t want to come on too strong or seem overly friendly.  
Today, like every other day, Rhett’s face lights up with a big, welcoming smile.  
“Of course not! Sit down Neal, what kind of goodness did Lizzie prepare for you today?”

-

An hour later, breakfast is over but conversation between them is still going.  
The shop is not too busy, a couple of regulars and a big group of young moms enjoying smoothies and coconut oil brownies.  
Link can’t help but giggle at the silly story Rhett is telling about his teenage self. He can picture him easily, a rowdy teen but incredibly awkward with his gangly body. Nothing like the soft-spoken, but confident man in front of him now.  
He marvels at the handsome face in front of him. Rhett’s beard catches the morning light and makes it look golden for a moment. Deep in his own thoughts he doesn’t even notice the soft smile when Rhett catches him staring.

“One pumpkin coffee cake and a peanut butter cheesecake. Compliments of the chef.”  
Link shakes to clear his head as the young server sets down two plates on their table. Chase shoots him a toothy grin before continuing.  
“Would you like anything to drink with that? I can recommend the Jasmine Green tea.”  
“Well thank you Chase. Tea’s good, for both of us. Right? Or did you want anything else”?” Rhett looks over at him with questioning eyes.  
“Uhmm yes, tea’s good. But I have to get back to work.. surely.. I’ve been too long already..”

“No need boss, we’ve got you covered. Enjoy your cakes. Tea will be right up.”  
With that Chase turns around to place their order at the counter and chat with Alex. Link watches him walk away and makes a move to stand up. He feels guilty for chatting so long, even though he really enjoyed himself with Rhett. 

A warm hand on his forearm stops him.  
“Please Link. They will call you if they need you.. Stay?” His slate grey eyes turn mischievous. “You’re not gonna let me eat these delicious cakes all by myself, do you? You know I got to keep a watch on my figure.”

Link eyes the treats set between them. :They do look delicious.. Peanutbutter.. Damn them all, they do know me too well!: He sits down on his chair facing Rhett again. He looks into the pleading eyes and exaggerated pout. : And that’s especially hard to resist..: 

“Just for a little while. I do need to run this place, you know?”  
He takes a bite from the gooey cake and groans as his favorite flavor hits his tongue. “And there’s nothing wrong with your figure! You look good Rhett, you know that.” Link pushes his glasses up his nose as he takes another bite, while Rhett grins around his mouthful of coffee cake.

-

It’s mid afternoon when Link sees Rhett packing up his stuff. The laptop, headphones and notepads go into his bag before he stands up tall. Link walks over to the counter, ready for their last interaction of the day. It’ll be another two days before Rhett visits the coffee shop again, since most days he works at home. Every Monday, Thursday and Friday he sits in Mythical Brew at his usual table by the window, enjoying coffee while working on his laptop. 

Before Rhett finished packing however he’s stopped by Stevie. Link hadn’t even seen his manager enter the floor, so focused on the tall man alone. Stevie gives Rhett a quick side hug, and she speaks enthusiastically to him in a hushed tone. Link tries to hear what they’re saying without looking too nosy, but they’re too far away. He sees Stevie handing over a paper, which Rhett takes carefully. He can’t see Rhett’s face, only Stevie’s friendly features as she looks up at the big man with a smile.  
He can make out a quiet ‘Thank you Stevie.’ from Rhett, but that’s all. Link tries to put on a neutral face as Rhett finally approaches the counter. 

“Done for the day? I see Stevie went to day Hi herself huh..”  
At Rhett’s confused face, he elaborates. “She told me to say Hi to you this morning and I forgot.. But she talked to you just now, so I guessed she greeted you herself.. Or did see talked to you about something else? Hmm, forget I said anything.. ” Rhett’s face just blooms into a slow smile, crinkling his eyes and making his cheeks stand out. “Just.. Did you have a nice day? Here at Mythical Brew? Got any work done? After I left.. Or just.. today.. Oh my gosh, why do you let me keep on talking? Please stop me!”  
Rhett is full on grinning now, keeping eye contact over the big counter. He mercifully opens his mouth, but instead of an answer he lets out a boisterous laugh. After a stunned second, Link starts laughing with him. Everybody who knows him is familiar with his sometimes incoherent speech. 

As they stop laughing, Link only giggling behind his raised hand, their eyes find each other again.  
“I had a great day at Mythical Brew today, Link. Thank you.” He takes out his wallet from his back pocket. “What do I owe you today?”  
Link sums up the total, obviously leaving out the complimentary cake and tea. As Rhett pays with his cash, leaving a healthy tip, he tries to prolong the moment.  
“So, got anything besides Netflix planned for tonight? Any new series you can recommend?” He knows Rhett loves to talk about new series or documentaries and will always talk him into watching something new and interesting. But before Rhett can answer, there’s a loud crash from their storage room.  
Jen and Alex rush over to see what’s happening in there as a big cloud of flour billows out.

“I better go check on them.. See you Thursday, Rhett!”  
With a exasperated sigh looks back, ready to clean up and finally organize the cluttered storage room.

“Good luck with that, See ya Link!” With an appreciative glance at Link’s retreating back Rhett walks out of Mythical Brew.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has a crush and Stevie cares.

Link feels exhausted when he closes the door behind him, locking it with the keys attached to the beltloop on his jeans. After Rhett had left, the afternoon had been chaotic and stressful.

While moving some boxes to get to the napkins, Chase had accidently pushed off two big sacks of flour. Standing directly underneath him, Mike had caught one of the falling sacks but the other hit him in the head pretty hard. After it had hit Mike, the heavy sack had spilled all over the storage room covering everything in a thick white layer of flour.  
Mike had fallen down too, still holding on to the one sack in his hands, but accidently knocking over some of the bottled fruits Jen kept on a shelf.  
The scene Link had walked into was horrific. The broken bottles and escaped fruitjuice made it look like Mike’s accident had been a lot worse, bloodred fluids running through the white flour. Link had to grasp on to Jen, feeling close to fainting, before Chase assured everyone that ‘It’s not blood guys!! Just juice!’.  
Alex had rushed over to help Mike up, the usually stoic guy clutching his head and groaning. At that point Stevie walked in and took control over the situation.

Alex and Chase would take her car and drive Mike to the hospital to get checked for a concussion. Lizzie and Eddie would continue to run the shop, with Stevie to help them. Meanwhile he and Jen would clean up the mess that was now their storage room.  
He didn’t mind the cleaning up and Jen had a great work ethic, so together they worked hard for over two hours. Making sure all the glass shards were picked up, dusting off everything, sweeping and mopping the floor, polishing their glasses and washing up the plates.  
The storage room was as clean and organized as it ever was, but he was very glad when Chase returned with Stevie’s car and news about Mike’s health. It turned out he did have a concussion, nothing too bad, but Alex had offered to stay with him and keep an eye on him at home.  
They finished up together and closed Mythical Brew at 6.30, everybody tired and ready to relax at home.

-

Letting himself in his apartment he shut the door behind him and laid his keychain in a nearby bowl. He toed of his shoes and stretched his tired body. :Nothing but Netflix and a burger tonight! Maybe even a beer..:

Walking back home Link had made a detour past his favorite burger place, ordering a big cheeseburger with fries to go. Now that he’s home his stomach growls loudly, reminding him of the delicious smelling bag of comfort food.  
He flicks on the tv, starts Netflix and walks over to the fridge. He has barely any food in stored in there, just milk, chocolate and beer. Grabbing a cold beer he grabs the paper bag with his food and sets himself down on the couch. He sinks in the worn leather with a deep, content sigh. Ready to relax after a long workday.

-

His stomach is full and he feels a bit drowsy from his second beer. He watches another episode of Fargo on his flatscreen but feels too tired to really pay attention to the plot. After another character he doesn’t recognize fills the screen, he clicks of the TV, ready to call it a night.  
He puts away the empty bottles and makes sure there are no crumbs or greasespots left on the table.  
After brushing his teeth and changing into his sleepwear Link steps into his cool bed, glad he turned the AC on this morning before he left. He unlocks his phone, browsing through his social media, his usual routine before going to sleep.

Nothing interesting, except for a few tweets about Mythical Brew which he likes. He opens his Instagram and is greeted by Rhett’s smiling face. A sunny pic from this afternoon with the caption {Enjoying my time in the sun @MythicalBrew #Coffee} He sees Stevie has already commented underneath it from the business account with emoji’s of a sun, a heart and a coffee cup.  
Link takes a long moment to look at Rhett’s handsome face but resists the urge to comment on the photo. He does like it however. :Nothing wrong with letting him know that I like his photo, right?:  
For good measure he likes a bunch of other posts: Chase with his lazy cat; his neighbors’ renovation photo; Alex’s pic of Mike’s head on his shoulder, fast asleep.  
Before he puts down his phone on the bedside table he scrolls back to Rhett’s picture. Link smiles back at Rhett’s smiling face. He lays down his phone, rolls over and falls asleep.

-

The next few days are uneventful. Mike’s back at work the next day, claiming he’s fine. Link doesn’t worry much about it, seeing how Alex and Chase keep an eye on him the whole time. He knows Chase feels guilty, but it had been an accident and he doesn’t want to get involved in all that. They need to work out stuff like that on their own.  
Jen is very busy with replacing the lost shelf of bottled fruit, while also keeping up with the demand of everyday orders.  
Ben and Morgan come by on Wednesday morning, delivering more of the new and very successful blend. Link spends the entire morning discussing a new roasting technique with the two men, while Stevie holds down the fort.

Wednesday they closed the shop at 5, as always, to hold their weekly meeting. It’s just him, Stevie, Jen, Lizzie, Alex and Eddie tonight. Mike confessed to a headache and left earlier that day, while Chase claimed he had a date. Much teasing followed, but of course the young man could home earlier to get ready.

“Okay, welcome everyone. First things first, Alex you owe me 6 bucks for that monster order. Everybody else paid me already.”

“Put it on the tab!”, Alex replied to Stevie with a grin on his face, even as he reached in his pocket to pull out some crumpled dollar bills. Taking the money from Alex, Stevie continued with the meeting.

“The new Kenyan- Ethiopian blend we started with this week has been selling well. We restocked it this morning, since we ran through our test supply. Guys, good job in recommending it. Did anybody get any feedback?”

They talk about coffee and their customer feedback for a while. Link is very happy and satisfied with the high level of participation in his crew. Everybody works very hard to make it all happen and motivation is at an all-time high.  
He smiles at the enthusiastic ideas that form as Lizzie and Jen turn their heads together. The whole group joins in to help the girls with their brainstorm for a new breakfast dish.

“I think we can make a smoothie bowl, you know with fresh fruit and oatmeal and stuff..” “Oh, and we can present different fruits on top. And seeds, chia seeds are so popular right now!” “I can help with the presentation, it will be a great hit on Instagram if we can make it look pretty.” “Yeah Eddie, thanks, we can have different presentation for different kinds of smoothies.” “Are we writing this down? Alex, please tell me you’re writing this down?!” “Of course, I’m writing this down. This is brilliant stuff guys..”

Link sits back as his team write down their new recipe ideas and sketch outrageous designs. Tomorrow or later this week he will take a look at their recipes and designs with Stevie. For now he lets their creative minds do what they do best and enjoys watching the process.  
Stevie leans over to him, keeping her voice low. “Did you get any new messages this week?”  
He looks over at her, confused by the weird question. “Messages? From whom?” Immediately his mind goes back to Stevie handing over a piece of paper to Rhett last Monday. :No, she wouldn’t! Would she?:

“You did not give my personal phone number to a regular customer! Stevie!” He angrily whispers to her, trying to keep his voice low to not attract the attention of the other. “Did you give my number to Rhett?!” He looks incredulous at the petite blonde woman next to him who’s giving him an innocent smile.  
“Someone had to make the first move for you.. You were taking ages! You know he’s interested! And even though it’s very cute to see you with a crush on the sweetest guy ever, I had to do something!”

Link can’t help but groan. Somehow his lovelife was something his employees felt the need to help him with. Over the last 6 years of working with Stevie and most of his employees, he only dated someone seriously once. Dan had been a lovely boyfriend, nice and goodlooking. But the spark had never been there. He was always busy with the coffee shop and not willing to put effort in his romantic relationship. Link couldn’t fault Dan for stepping out and finding love elsewhere. He did however fault him for finding someone else while still living together with Link.  
But he was long past all that and hadn’t really felt the need to start a new relationship. He liked working hard and in his spare time he mountain biked and hiked a lot on the gorgeous trails around LA. He had a couple of close friends whom he spoke with on a regular basis, going out to the town every once awhile. That was enough to make him happy.

Not until a couple of months ago, when a tall bearded blonde walked into Mythical Brew and smiled at him, did he reconsider his stance. He and Rhett had clicked right away, talking easily and joking with each other. Link felt a pull towards the other man, unlike anything else he ever felt before. Those first few weeks Rhett spend a lot of his time at the counter after ordering and paying for his beverages.

The rest of the crew had taken a liking to the big, friendly regular who spend way too much time flirting with their boss.  
He was aware he acted like a schoolgirl around a handsome guy, but he couldn’t help himself. And Rhett did seem interested in him, or at least interested in being friends with him. He never made a move however, never made it really obvious he was looking for more than a friend or acquaintance. Link had never been good at reading peoples intentions and his gaydar was permanently broken.

But now Stevie made the first move for him, giving his phone number to Rhett.  
“I guess he’s not that interested though.. I didn’t get any messages, Stevie..”  
Stevie gives him a compassionate look, “Give it time, boss.”


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad day that gets a whole lot better once Rhett’s there.

Link woke up with some difficulty on Thursday morning. For some reason he couldn’t get his body to wake up properly. And even though it’s early, he is used to waking up at ungodly hours to open up the shop for the morning rush. He didn’t sleep well, his dreams filled with crazy abstract faces and lots of confusing feelings. Normally he would be able to shake it off during his morning routines, but he had no such luck today.  
Freshly showered and shaved, he walks over to his bike but still he doesn’t feel like himself. He hopes his first cup of coffee will do the trick and wake him up.

He’s halfway down the street before he realizes he doesn’t have his phone on him, his right pocket empty. He’s already feeling chagrined as he pedals back to his apartment, but he’s full on pissed when he has to turn back again the second time for his forgotten wallet. A big headache is blooming behind his eyes and bunched eyebrows.  
By the time he arrives at Mythical Brew, the crew already opened and the first customers are already in line. One of the part-timers, Becca, is working the register and he’s silently grateful for that. He is in no mood to act friendly and charming to their customers today. Better to work backstage for now, he knows the crew can manage without him sometimes.

Knowing he eventually has to come out and try to be civilised, he disappears inside the office for now. Typing away on his laptop, he angrily punches the keys, grumbling under his breath as the sound only aggravates his headache. It’s only 8.30 when the door to the office opens to reveal a worried looking Stevie.

“Everything okay, Link?” He wants to reassure her, tell her he’s all right and he is, honestly. He knows he has to act at least civil to her, she deserves at least that. But his head is killing him, his shoulders are filled with tension and all that he can do is grunt something that sounds like English at her. He stares back at his laptop, frowning at the screen but unseeing. He has work to do, business to take care of, but he is not in a good state of mind to do so it seems.  
:Gosh, a little stress and I’m falling apart at the seams. You’re a weak man, Link. Dang it, I hate this so much..:

Every once in awhile he gets these tension headaches, ruining his day and everyone’s who’s unfortunate enough to cross paths with him.  
Link had always been a stressful and anxious person, luckily not on a daily basis but he’s never been able to set aside worries easily.  
Last night, after they ended their staff meeting, he’d argued some more with Stevie about privacy and drawing a line. He knows he’d been a bit too harsh with her, reprimanding his longtime colleague and friend. But her casual actions and statement really caused a big spike in his anxiety, especially when the realization hit that Rhett hadn’t contacted him.  
Link had taken it out on Stevie and right now he feels bad about it. Later he will make amends, apologizing for his bad mood.

He takes off his glasses and massages his temples with his fingers. There’s a lot of tension behind his eyes. He sighs as the door opens a second time. Without turning or opening his eyes, he speaks in the general direction of the door.  
“I’m fine Stevie, please just leave me be for now, okay? I just have a headache. We’ll talk later..”

“Uhm not Stevie..” Link opens his eyes and looks at the opened door in shock. The sudden movement causes his right shoulder to seize up and give a painful twinge. He’s grimacing while looking at the tall bearded man standing just barely in the office, who’s most definitely not Stevie.

“Rhett!”  
It’s all he can say right now, he feels dumbfounded at the man’s presence. They never let customers get backstage and even though he has formed something surpassing a strict customer relationship with Rhett, he never even thought about crossing the line and inviting the attractive man to their non-public areas.  
He tries to make an effort to get himself in order, running a hand through his hair while trying to put his glasses back on with his left hand. The frantic motions remind him of his aching shoulder and he grimaces again.

“I feel a bit weird standing here, but Stevie said I should come back here and find you.. Are you okay?” Rhett gives him a concerned look, brows knitted together in a frown as he takes in Link’s tense body language.  
With a couple of big strides Rhett crosses the room to stand behind his chair. Link looks up at him, but before he can even begin to scoff at the concern Rhett’s showing, big hands land on his painful shoulders.

Rhett’s low, soft voice is so close, his breath ghosting over Link’s ear.  
“Here let me help.. I’ve been to this amazing shiatsu class. I’m no expert, but I can help you with some of that tension.” There’s a heavy pause in which Rhett doesn’t move at all, just rests his warm hands on him. “If you want..” The words are quiet and even though Link can’t see the blonde’s face, he can feel the sudden insecurity coming from behind him.

“Sure.. If you want to. Yeah.. I could use some help.. It really does hurt a lot..”  
Link falls quiet as Rhett’s finds his confidence again and his hands start kneading and massaging the tense muscles underneath them.  
For a couple of minutes the office is quiet, the two men just breathing deeply and not speaking at all.

Link started to bite his bottom lip, trying to keep in any inappropriate sounds that are trying to escape at the pleasurable ministrations.  
Rhett’s hands feel wonderful, the strong fingers digging firmly into tense muscles, his palms kneading pressure points till they give in and relax. He does notice some of the tension leaving his shoulders, finally allowing them to drop to a more normal position.  
Rhett’s big hands continue their firm but gentle work, going higher up his shoulder, up to his neck, occasionally straying to the shorn hairs on the back of Link’s head.

Link lets his head fall forward, pliant in Rhett’s hands. He feels like jelly, a soft sigh escapes his lips. :Gosh.. How can he be so good with his hands.. He can do this any day!:  
As Rhett moves his hands away from him, he can’t stop the disappointed noise. Link’s face immediately flames up with embarrassment at the needy sound and he clears his throat, trying to get ready to act cool as he needs to face his impromptu masseuse.  
:Keep it together, man! Please don’t say anything stupid..:

He turns his chair around to face Rhett, ready to thank him for his help. Instead he keeps his mouth slightly open as he locks eyes with Rhett’s intense gaze, his tongue useless in his suddenly dry mouth.  
Link feels some of the tension return to his body, but not really in a bad way. He feels the electricity in the air between them, sizzling and crackling. 

Neither men notices as the door opens, they only break their eyecontact reluctantly as an oblivious Chase walks in with a tray full of breakfast.  
“Here you go boss. Breakfast for the both of you! Lizzie knew you didn’t get anything when you got in late, so she really went all the way. Those applepie pancakes are delicious! And we made you a new cup of coffee, sir. You left your old one on the table and it’d got cold. So this one’s on the house. I’ll just set this down right here, I’ll leave you guys be. Keep it relaxing and quiet in here. Let us know if you need anything else or just a refill..”

The previous tension between them seems to dissipate with the energetic babbling from the young server. A small smile settles on Link’s face as he takes in the overflowing tray. :They outdid themselves. I really have to thank them later, Stevie too.. That little she devil for orchestrating all of this no doubt.:

He catches Rhett’s smiling face and feels his bad mood from earlier that morning slip away piece by piece. They are once again left alone in the room, with Chase closing the door behind him.

“Well Rhett, seems like we got ourselves a private breakfast. Dig in!”


	5. Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Private breakfast with the cutest man ever.

After the applepie pancakes, breakfast fruit/ granola tarts, poached eggs on toast and orange juice are all consumed, Link is a happy but full man. Even though he offered his portion of the eggs and the last of his pancakes to Rhett, he feels like he ate way too much. Watching the man sitting close to him munch away on the last slice of the delicious pancakes, he doesn’t even remember why he was in such a bad mood this morning.

His headache is gone, his shoulders no longer feel tense thanks to an amazing massage and he feels very grateful. Picking up his coffee cup, sipping from it, he tries to take a sneaky but appreciative look at his companion. :He looks gorgeous today.. like every day..:

-

On the very first day that Rhett had walked in Link had been struck by Rhett’s attractive figure. He noticed the tall man immediately when he walked through the open doors, at first because of his extraordinary height of course. But the then still unknown customer did strike a fancy in him, ticking of several boxes on his preference list.  
Tall - check  
Blonde - check  
Bigger than him/ bit muscular, but not too much - check  
Bearded - check  
Nice eyes - check

But it was not until Link had the chance to speak with this attractive man that he’d felt his superficial appreciation turn into a slow blooming crush. Besides just being darn attractive, Link thought Rhett had a great personality.  
They shared a sense of humor, being able to laugh at extremely awkward stuff. Link often found himself giggling along to Rhett’s more boisterous laugh when then were talking.  
They also shared a love for music, especially the older country songs.  
He’d learned that Rhett was a songwriter, working freelance for several recording companies. Mostly writing country songs, but he had a vast repertoire in all different kinds of genres. Link had been immensely impressed by this and wanted to hear everything that Rhett had worked on. Rhett had been very proud to show him his working progress on his laptop, explaining the different programs he worked with and letting him listen to some of his modest hitsongs. When Link learned that he sang all of his lyrics as some sort of draft he’d almost begged Rhett to let him listen to these instead.  
Link remembers the pleased blush on Rhett’s face with great fondness. He’d given him the link to his soundcloud account to listen to the drafts in his own time, shyly reminding him they were not nearly as good as the final products or anything.  
After that day, some time ago, Link has spend a lot of his free time listening to Rhett’s low and lovely voice.

-

That lovely, low voice that’s now interrupting his thoughts.  
“You sure it’s not weird that I’m here, in your office? I mean.. I don’t want to seem rude or anything.. It’s just.” Link cuts him off with a dismissive and resolute sound.  
“No, it’s good Rhett. You’re very welcome. I think my crew will be eternally thankful to you for curing my bad mood.”  
Link loves how, once again, a blush creeps on Rhett’s face. It’s even cuter that he tries to hide it behind his coffee mug, taking a big gulp of its contents.  
“I asked Stevie where you were, since I didn’t see you this morning, and she just hauled me out of my seat and pushed me through the doors. Ordering me to come here.. She’s really bossy, man!”

Link makes another mental note to thank Stevie, while simultaneously reprimanding her for such unacceptable behaviour. For now he laughs with Rhett at his manager’s antics. His own face warms up when Rhett lays his big palm on Link’s nearby knee.  
“Are your shoulders feeling better now? They’re at least no longer up by your ears..!”  
“No.. Yes.. They’re good now! Thanks to you! You didn’t have to do that, you know. The massage, I mean. It was really great though! Helped a lot.. Could have saved me a lot of headaches in the past!”  
:Yeah.. That’s real smooth buddy.. Just shut your mouth!:  
He snaps his mouth shut and purses his lips together. He feels flushed, aware of every point of contact he has with Rhett. They’re sitting close together on the big leather couch, knees touching and of course there’s Rhett’s warm hand on him.

Rhett seems oblivious to all of this and keeps his hand where it sits comfortably on Link’s knee.  
“My pleasure, Link. Whenever you need.. Just let me know next time when you need my magic hands!” The grinning man wriggles his hands in the air between them and Link feels almost relieved when they settle back in his own lap. As much as he likes it when Rhett touches him, he can barely think straight when it happens. Even at his best moments Link is not known for being an eloquent speaker, but with his head up in the clouds he knows he will definitely say stupid things.  
:It’d be nice if he at least thinks I’m somewhat intelligent..:

“What caused all that tension anyway? If I should believe Stevie you were in a horrible mood when you came in..”  
For a second he contemplates fabricating an outrageous excuse, but at the last moment he switches over to the truth, or at least part of the truth. Rhett seems genuinely concerned for his well being and interested in the reasons for his distress.  
“I slept kinda bad.. We had a staff meeting last night, and afterwards me and Stevie had a bit of an argument. I said some harsh things which I later regretted.. I’ve yet to apologise to her.”

He knows he’s being vague, but he’s not ready to share the personal topic of the argument. He’s not sure how he would be able to explain it, especially to Rhett.

“Is this about her giving me your personal number?”

So much for not being ready to share. Link looks up to Rhett’s frowning face, trying to read the other man’s eyes but having no such luck.

“Cause I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it..”

Link’s heart is hammering in his chest, his mouth feels dry all of the sudden and he takes a quick sip of his almost forgotten coffee. The usually wonderful beverage doesn’t taste like anything in his mouth and he swallows quickly.

“Well, yeah, Stevie gave me your phone number last monday as you probably knew already. And.. uhm.. I didn’t know if you were okay with that? I mean, It could come in handy, I could let you know some stuff when I’m not at the shop or.. But if you’re not comfortable with me having your number, that’s okay too.”

Link lets out a big gush of air. “I’m okay with it.”

“Cause I normally don’t get someone’s phone number from one of their employees and I didn’t want to be presumptuous. And I wanted to check with you if you were okay with it..”

Link giggles at the serious face Rhett’s making. “It’s okay Rhett, I’m okay with you having my number! I was a bit mad at Stevie for giving you my number though.. These kids are always messing with me, I have to make a stance every now and then!”

He feels relieved there’s a valid reason Rhett hasn’t been texting him, even though he’s had his number for several days. Link hopes it means the other man is still interested, but just practices a strange but cute form of chivalry. Link likes it though, how he didn’t want to assume and wanted to make sure Link was okay with Stevie’s covert actions. He thinks it makes the big man that much sweeter.

Rhett moves away from him to reach into his front pocket, digging around before he produces a small piece of paper. The tall, sweet man looks even sweeter as he shyly holds it out to Link. Picking it from the open palm and folding it open Link takes in the neatly written numbers.  
“It’s my phone number. I wanted you to have it, so you know.. We’re even.”

He almost laughs out loud at the silly and sweet gesture, but he contains it in a short breathless giggle. “You could have texted me so I would have your number!”

“Oh yeah.. Stupid..” The beard hides most of the redness in his face, but Link still thinks an embarrassed Rhett looks adorable.

“But thank you, Rhett. I appreciate it.” :How can a grown man be this cute?!:

As they smile at each other sheepishly they finish their coffees together and Link can feel his silly little crush expand a bit more. He didn’t think the butterflies in his stomach could grow any bigger or that he’d have any more room for them to settle inside of him, but he finds it’s possible as they’re sitting there together, sharing a sweet moment. The morning light shines in through the big open windows and Link just enjoys this moment with Rhett.

-

It’s not long before the moment is broken by the soft knock in the door.  
“Come in!”

Stevie’s head pops in from behind the partially opened door. “Is the coast clear?”

“Very funny Stevie, yes the coast is clear. I’m not gonna bite your head off.. anymore.”

He mirrors the big smile on Stevie’s face. He can see she’s relieved he’s not in a bad mood anymore, glad her plan involving Rhett worked out for the both of them. The slim girl steps fully into the room, taking in their close position on the couch and gives him a cheeky wink.  
“I’m sorry to interrupt anything, but I really need to work on next week’s schedule. So I kinda need to use my laptop and all my stuff in here..”

Rhett stands up from the couch with a soft grunt, wiping sweaty hands on his jeans. “I should go back anyways.. Oh! My laptop..” A panicked looks crosses his face.

“Is behind the counter.” Stevie interrupts. “Chase put it there earlier, to keep it safe.” She stands back again, trying very hard to look as if she’s not watching the two man over by the couch. Rhett looks down at him from his towering height and Link suddenly feels nervous. He stands up too, making the height difference a bit less dramatic. He decides to act now, before their staring and smiling becomes really awkward, and claps Rhett on his shoulder, letting his hand linger for a long moment.

“Thank you Rhett, I really appreciate your help and company this morning. But don’t expect to get a backstage pass just yet!”

Rhett shares his laugh at the lame joke and claps a big, warm hand on his upper arm. His eyes crinkle in the most endearing way before he steps back, hikes up the back of his jeans and walks over to the door.

“Bye now Stevie! And Link..” He looks over at Rhett, who winks back at him. “I’ll text you!”  
And with that he walks out of the sunny office, closing the door behind him and leaving behind a baffled Link and a grinning Stevie.

“Don’t even start, Stevie!” Link catches her eye and they can’t hold back a giggling happy laugh. “Come here, you silly woman!” He walks over to where she’s still standing, folding his arms around her shoulders for a big hug. “Thank you, you always know best..” Her voice is muffled by her long hair and his chest. “You should learns to trust me by now, boss, I know what’s good for you better than you do. And that big man is definitely good for you..” Link can’t help but agree and hug Stevie a little tighter.


	6. Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A date? Not a date? Having a great time either way!

The rest of the day turns out to be a busy couple of hours, the sunny weather inviting people to sit on the little terrace outside the shop or near the big windows to soak up the sun, and the afternoon flies by. The Mythical Brew is buzzing with positive energy and the delicious smelling aromas of steamy coffee, delicious cookies and fresh juices.

Link helps Chase with taking in new orders and serving the tables, while Mike does his best keeping up with washing the dishes. Walking back to the counter with a couple new orders, Link observes with a small smile as the young man gets distracted by one of his best baristas, Alex.  
Alex makes a great team with Eddie as their full time baristas, working together almost like brothers, always working hard but still joking around the whole time. When the somewhat more mature Eddie has enough of Alex’s endless energy and stupid jokes, he tells the younger barista to go harass someone else.  
Most of the time it’s Mike, who’s working a couple of feet away, and the joking often turns into something way more distracting than it should be. Link’s mostly okay with this, since it’s harmless and the guys work hard. A little bit of fun goes a long way in making a good workplace, in his opinion.

“Mike.. You’ll tell me if Alex is harassing again right?”

Link shoots an exaggerated wink to Mike and grins when the young man returns to washing up with a blush. Alex laughs heartily and walks back to the counter, ready to take the orders from Link.

“2 Vietnamese Iced Coffees, 1 Iced Almond Macadamia Milk Latte, 2 Salted Chocolate Iced Coffee and a Cold Brew Coffee. I’ll take the Almond and Cold Brew first please.”

“Will do boss.”

The coffee machines are working hard and Alex makes fast work of the order, adding ice and milk to the coffee concentrate to make a nice Cold Brew Coffee. The dairy free Iced Almond Macadamia Milk Latte takes a bit more work to prepare. Link is glad the relatively new recipe doesn’t get ordered a lot, especially since Eddie has to make the chilled nut milk fresh every week or so, making for a lot of extra work.  
Alex slides over the simple black tray filled with two ice cold glasses, before turning around to complete the rest of the order.  
Link takes the tray, careful with his ever shaking hands to not spill any of the coffee. He takes the order over to the young couple who barely look at him when he places the glasses in between them.  
He can’t help but smile at the obvious infatuation the two girls display, staring into each other eyes without a care for the rest. His eyes automatically look over to the tall figure near the window, finding Rhett looking at him from across the room. Their eyes lock for a moment and they share a sappy smile together.

-

The sun is starting to go down at 04:50 PM, gradually hanging lower in the sky and painting the inside of Mythical Brew in warm tones. Link wipes off his hands on a clean towel, glad to have a moment to catch his breath. The coffee shop is quieter now, several tables still seating little groups or people working by themselves.  
Even though he’s tired from the physical work, walking around all afternoon and talking with everyone, Link feels full of energy. He takes the towel and wipes down the one of the tables, handing over the empty glasses to Chase.

“How was your date, Chase? Had fun last night?”

“Nah.. Not really.. She just ah..” “When did he leave?!”  
Link interrupts the young server’s story about the failed date when he spots the empty table where Rhett usually sits.

“Ah who? Oh your favorite, I mean um, Rhett! He left earlier, about 30 minutes ago I guess.. Said he had to run and well.. You were busy talking to the mom with that cute baby I think..”

Link’s face falls, disappointed he didn’t get the chance to speak with Rhett some more. Beside their time spend together this morning inside the office, he hadn’t had any more time with his favorite customer today. He feels Chase’s stare and schools his face into something more neutral, faking a little smile.

“Okay. Did he say anything?”

He doesn’t like the smirk on Chase’s face, he’s not that obvious isn’t he? He hastens to continue like he meant to say something else. “About the breakfast I mean! That was a real good breakfast you brought over this morning, Chase. Rhett really seemed to like the pancakes, even ate some of mine after he finished his own..”

The smirk on Chase’s face turns into a full faced grin, his eyes almost close to disappearing in his upturned cheeks. Link feels flustered, like he got caught doing or telling something not so good. :But dammit, I can ask about a regular customer, can’t I!! I can’t believe it, these sassy kids! Making me feel bad for taking an interest in my regulars..:  
He knows by now that his ears have turned red, he can feel them heating up. :The only downside of not having my wings anymore! Those stupid ears!:  
He fights the urge to cover his ears or his overheated cheeks and stares of into the distance, which just happens to be the general direction of Rhett’s usual table.

Before Chase walks away with his hands full with plates and glasses, he seems to takes some pity on his boss and finally speaks. “He said to say goodbye to you and that he’ll contact you.”  
Turning around he walks back to the counter, laughing to himself the whole way. Link watches Chase talk with Mike at the counter, no doubt talking about him and laughing at his expense.

He grumbles to himself a bit and scrubs the table a bit harder, pleading with the redness in his face to go away.

-

Link’s just opening his front door, or at least trying to, his hands full with papers, keys and his jacket. Even though the sun has set it’s still nice outside, his rolled up sleeves enough to keep his warm. It is however totally dark by now and he has trouble getting the right key in. His glasses are sliding down his nose and his hair is falling into his eyes, making it even more difficult to open the damn door.

Just as the right key clicks and the door swings open, he feels a buzz in his left front pocket. :That might be Rhett!:

In his haste to get to his phone and read incoming message as fast as he can, he drops the jacket on the floor and leaves his keys hanging in the half opened door. Digging the phone out of his tight jeans Link pushes the door open and walks in his hallway to sit on a nearby chair. Raking a hand through his already disheveled hair he opens the message, but as he’s swiping the screen 2 new incoming messages pop up in rapid succession.  
Link smiles at the words before him, so obviously Rhett, even if he hadn’t saved the man’s number after their morning get together he still would know immediately.

{:Hey Link, sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye today. You were so busy, didn’t want to interrupt. Did Chase relay my message to you?:}

{:This is Rhett btw, from the coffeeshop. I promised to text you?:}

{:I had a really great time this morning, thanks again for the amazing breakfast. I wouldn’t mind getting that backstage pass again!:}

His hands are a little shaky when he types back a reply.

{:Hi Rhett! My back’s good, thanks to you.. Sorry to have missed you, but Chase did tell me. I had a great day, especially considering that bad start!:}

Feeling bold he types a second message. :I can always play it off like a joke..:

{:We’re not to liberal with handing out backstage passes, but if your tactics are handing out more massages to butter up the boss, you’re doing great so far!:}

Before he could think twice about the message Link hits send. He feels an anxious swirl in his stomach when he sees Rhett’s typing up a message back immediately.

{:That was my plan all along, so glad it’s working! What about buttering the boss up some more with taking him to dinner?:}

He stares at his screen for a long time, almost not believing his own eyes, the screen of his iphone turning black. It lits up a moment later, with another message from Rhett.

{: It’s okay if you don’t want to of course. Or if you’re busy.:}

Link forces his shaky fingers to type out a quick answer, but he can see Rhett’s already typing another message at the same time.

{:Yes, of course Rhett. Dinner sounds good!:}

{:I just have some free time and thought maybe I should pay you back for all the nice gestures lately, a guy can only accept so many free pancakes before he feels guilty.:}

The blush heating up his face makes him feel awkward, for a minute there it had almost felt like Rhett was asking him out on a date, turning up the volume real fast on their flirting. But apparently that’s just wishful thinking on his part, his mind jumping to favorable conclusions a bit too fast.

:Just a friendly gesture. Okay, I can do that. Just getting a couple of burgers together or something. It’s something you can do with a regular at your coffeeshop right?: 

Link decides to play it safe and definitely lower his expectations a bit. Even though he feels like they have been flirting a lot lately and Rhett’s been returning his interest, he can’t be too sure. It’s not a stretch to imagine the other man is just trying to be his friend. A casual message needs to be send back.

{:Yeah sure, I have some free time now. There’s no need of course, but I won’t say no to a free burger from Umami..:}

He knows Rhett lives nearby, practically in the same neighbourhood as him. He also knows they both frequent this burger place near the coffeeshop. It feels like a good place to get together, as friends, just casually grabbing a burger. Link feels almost proud of himself, amazed at how he can put aside his crush on the blonde for a moment and think like a friend.

On the lit screen of his phone he can see Rhett start his message a couple of times, before deleting it again and starting over. It takes him longer to respond this time and Link begins to doubt his casual message. Trying to distract himself from second guessing he looks around the dark hallway, only now noticing the still open door. Link stands up, takes a deep breath and pushes his glasses further up his nose. Walking back to the door, he takes his dangling keys out and picks up his jacket from the ground.

For a second he looks around dazed, sure he had something else with him when he came home. Suddenly remembering the papers, he doesn’t remember where he left them in his haste to read his incoming messages.

Before he notices the papers strewn all over a little side table next to the wooden chair, he startles from his buzzing phone. Link can’t help the face splitting grin on his face or the little excited sound that leaves his mouth that’s definitely not casual.

{:Sure, burger sounds good! Meet you there at 7?:}


	7. Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning after the date and the crew knows what’s up.

Link takes a moment to stretch out his tired muscles, he’s still a bit sleepy and since it’s still dark outside he takes a moment to just lay there in his bed and relax before he has to get up.

He thinks back to last night, his evening spend in the company of Rhett. It had only been a little bit awkward and only at the start. Not knowing how to act someone he saw multiple times a week, but never in a setting outside his coffeeshop, he had flailed a bit. Thinking it was probably okay to give the man a quick side hug he grabbed onto his shoulder and leaned in just when Rhett stuck out his hand.

He remembers how awkward he felt, but always falling back on humour, he managed to laugh it off really easy. Rhett joined in on the laughter as he also leaned in and snuck his hand around Link’s shoulder. They hugged and laughed for a moment and afterwards Link felt a little light and tingly all over.

The rest of the evening had been very good. They’d gotten their burgers, eating them at their small table near the back, sitting very close together and leaning even closer to hear each other talk in the busy restaurant. Link had enjoyed himself so much talking to the gorgeous, funny man in front of him he hadn’t even noticed when it was near closing time. Rhett paid for the both of them and they walked back to their neighbourhood together. Or at least as far as Link’s block, before Rhett had to take another route to get home.

And even then they couldn’t seem to stop talking and laughing with each other, standing on a street corner, both reluctant to let the other go home and end the night.

Link had all forgotten about casual just then and was in full on flirting mode.

Thinking back to it right now he cringes a little at his behaviour last night, acting way too obvious in his interest and maybe coming on a little strong. But Rhett didn’t seem to mind his behaviour so much and if Link wasn’t trying to keep his cool and act casual, he might be inclined to think the other man returned some of the interest in a decidedly non-casual way.

-

Link’s in a very good mood when he arrives at Mythical Brew on Friday morning, a big difference from his entrance the day before. He’s a bit early, so when he steps into the breakroom with his first cup of steaming coffee he’s only greeted by Jen and Lizzie.

“Mornin’ Lizzie, Jen! You’re both early today, whatcha working on?” He curiously looks over Lizzie’s shoulder at the papers in front of the two girls.

Jen speaks up to him while Lizzie stacks up the papers in a neat pile.

“Our smoothie bowl idea, boss. Stevie told us to work it out and present it to you guys. Eddie made some amazing sketches for the design. And me and Lizzie are gonna prepare some try outs later this morning, you know, to convince you guys we should put it on the menu.”

Link can’t help but to be impressed by the thoroughness of his crew, immediately working hard to realise their ideas. He smiles a genuine big smile. “Sounds good, girls! Can’t wait to try ‘em later.”

That is the moment when more people enter their little breakroom, ‘good morning’s’ being thrown around while everybody gets their coffee and sits down to catch up. Stevie’s not there yet, so they have a little time before they debrief the upcoming workday. Link likes to be there every now and then, to socialize with his crew and not talk about work. He’s interested in them, thinks they’re good and creative young folk, with probably more interesting things happening in their life than his own.

He talks with Mike for a little while, inquiring about his head and concussion. The young man assures him that he feels okay, or at least better now, telling him he’s had some great help these past few days from his friends. When he asks with a small smile if Alex has been the one to help him, the only answer he gets is a flustered half smile.

Chase tries to get his attention from across their large square table, calling for him in an excited voice. “Hey boss, Link, did he send you that message he was talking about?” Link tries to shoot Chase a warning look, he doesn’t know if he wants to share his evening out with his crew. :They’re nosy enough as it is:

But it’s too late already, when conversations quiets down and all eyes turn to him. When he doesn’t answer immediately, Chase is more than happy to provide them with the answer and share the spotlight. He tries to hide his smile by putting his fingers up to his lips, thumb supporting his chin.

“Yesterday the boss’s favorite customer told me to say goodbye to him, since it was so busy and he had to run. Had a meeting I think. But he made me promise to tell Link that he said goodbye and that he would text him later. So…”

All eyes turn to him once again, eager and excited faces looking up at him. Link lets out a breathless little laugh. “Oh my gosh, you bunch of curious monkeys! Well yes, thank you Chase.” He shoots a pointed glare at the grinning young man across from him, only half for comedic effect.

“Rhett, did text me like he said. And no, he’s not my favorite customer, Mrs. Nunez is, you guys know this!”

He’s stalling and he knows it, but the joke gets a couple of laughs. Mrs. Nunez is a sweet little lady, who always brings a little packet of Reese’s for him.

He regrets his earlier teasing, when Mike decides to speak up this time.

“But what did a normal customer need to text you about then, boss?”

Now he’s the one wearing a sly smile on his face, only breaking it to laugh as Alex and Jen clap him on the shoulder.

“Since you’re all so desperate to know about my personal life… I got a text message from Rhett last night when I was coming home and he invited me to get a burger with him. So I did and..” He doesn’t get to finish his sentence as the whole room explodes with everyone talking at the same time.

“What?”, ”You went on a date already?”, “Oh my god, old people have no chill whatsoever!”, “You did what?!”, “Last night?” 

He feels a bit flabbergasted at their wild reaction. They’re all talking loudly, with each other, not really with him. So he’s the only one who notices the door opening to reveal a sleepy Stevie walking in with Enzo on a leash. He can see the shock on her face at the unexpected noise at this early hour. She looks around the room, till she finds his face and raises her eyebrows in question.

“Okay you guys, shut up for a minute. Let me explain before you let your imagination run wild and all kinds of wild stories get spread around.”

He sits up a bit straighter, contemplates standing up but decides it will make this this way too formal, like he’s making an announcement.

:Gosh, It was just a.. I don’t even know what it was.. not a frickin’ date. I would know! Right?:

“He offered to get some burgers as a payback for all the free stuff he gets around here. Or the stuff you seem intent on giving to him on the house.” A glare directed at Chase, who sputters indignantly, pointing at several of his coworkers.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s okay, I got a nice burger out of it. And we had a amicable dinner together. So it was not a date.” Pointed glare at Lizzie. “And we’re not old people!” Another pointed glare at Alex. He pushes his glasses up his nose in a nervous gesture and looks over to where Stevie’s still standing near the door.

“You went on a date with Rhett, last night?”

He groans as everybody erupts again in excited chatter, talking away about his personal life like it’s their business, filling up the room with laughs and questions.


	8. Part 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smoothie bowls are awesome, but an actual date is even better.

Glad the morning rush is over, Link steps away from the register. Rhett came in a while ago and is already working at his table near the window with his first cup of coffee. Link feels like such a big man folded on small chair sitting at a tiny table should look ridiculous but for some reason Rhett doesn’t look out of place. He marvels how Rhett can look so at ease, long legs stretched under the table, taking up most of the space.

Link smiles a bit when he remembers their legs bumping together under the table last night. At first Rhett would apologize after every little bump and move away, but as the night went on his knee came to rest comfortably against Link’s own. :It could be..:

He shakes his head before he thought completely forms in his mind, he’s determined to not make it awkward between them. To keep it casual.  
Especially around here in the coffeeshop. Link is not too thrilled about the all seeing eyes of his crew, who are a bit too enthusiastic to see him interact with Rhett this morning.

“No cereal this morning, Lizzie?” He looks over to the blonde girl, but she’s facing away from him, busy working on something he can’t see. Now that he’s started looking around, he sees Eddie and Jen are working alongside Lizzie and not at their usual workstations.

Alex taps him on the shoulder, turning his attention away from the secretive and hard working trio.

“They’re working on the smoothie bowl, boss. Eddie said they’d bring them over when they finish the prototypes. But I got you your coffee, so you can go over to the big man already..” He knows Alex is going for innocent, but he only sees mischievous in the smile on his face.

He rolls his eyes, but takes the coffee before he steps out from behind the counter. “Thanks Alex.”

Walking over to Rhett he feels strangely tense, all too aware of his own body. As Link nears his table Rhett suddenly looks up. He trips over his own feet as Rhett smiles up to him, making him forget the basic motor functions of walking normally. His coffee sloshes in his mug, dangerously close to spilling over the rim, but a big hand on his upper arm steadies him on time. Of course it’s Rhett who rescues him from making a fool of himself. Without his help he surely would have lost his balance and face planted the ground like a total idiot.

“Whoah, easy there Link. I got you..”

Link lets out a breathy giggle, pushing up his glasses back to their normal position. He finds his balance easily enough, but leans into Rhett’s warm side for a moment longer.

From under his lashes he looks up at the big man, their eyes lock and Link can only hope he doesn’t look as obviously in love as he suspects he looks. He can’t keep a secret if his life depended on it, if only because his eyes are always a dead give away.  
:What color are his eyes? They look so beautiful… Green? Grey? Gosh..:

Link smiles sheepishly at Rhett, flicking his eyes away, not sure if it’s appropriate to stare for so long. He misses the smug little smile that ghosts over Rhett’s lips, stepping away from him and sitting down in one of the waiting chairs. Rhett follows his example and sits down again.

“Good thing I caught you on time there.. Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself, Link. You okay?”

Link nods before answering, getting comfortable in his chair. “I’m okay, thanks Rhett. You’re kind of a lifesaver for me around here.. I should keep you around!”

The sparkle in his eyes, offsets the faux serious expression on Rhett’s face. “You definitely should! I’m a licensed lifesaver, I specialize in catching stumbling men and giving massages.”

He knows his own faux serious face is nowhere near as good, but the sparkle in his eyes is even more prominent than Rhett’s. “Well.. if those are your specialisations I may have a fulltime job for you, mister.”

“Good to know you’re easy to please, since I haven’t even listed my numerous other talents yet..”

They both hide their loopy smiles behind their coffeecups, simultaneously taking a drink while maintaining eyecontact.

-

Some time later, they are comfortably talking about Rhett’s latest song and everything feels almost normal again, sipping their coffee, enjoying each others company. The only notable difference is that now their knees are touching under the table. It seems to Link that Rhett’s more comfortable with touching him now, since it wasn’t awkward to do so yesterday. He likes the fuzzy feeling it gives him, the point of contact almost searing into his skin, even through thick jeans.

Lizzie and Jen appear by their table, holding trays, which then holds several bowls filled with colourful concoctions. Rhett stops talking as they begin to set down the different bowls, eyeing them hungrily.

“We want to present our idea: the smoothie bowl. A more elaborate version of the smoothie, with great opportunities for presentation as shown by Eddie.”

Link looks at the 8 medium sized bowls, all different colors and topped with gorgeous fruits and seeds. His stomach makes itself known and he suddenly feels very hungry.

“That looks good, girls! Good enough to eat.” He gives the proud young women standing near the table a wink, before he looks back again at the food.

“That does look great actually, nice presentation. Where’s Eddie now then?”

“Oh, he’s with Stevie. Bringing her the same bowls, so she can have a taste too. We’re letting the rest of the guys try too, see which ones everybody likes best you know.”

Lizzie interjects Jen to add, “And we thought you could share with Rhett, enjoy it together. Almost like a date..” Poking at Jen, who produces two spoons for the hungry men, Lizzie shoots a not so subtle wink at a frowning Link.

:I knew they would be trouble.. Why did I even tell them anything?: He takes a glance to see how Rhett reacts to Lizzie’s use of the word date, but the other man seems totally focused on the food before them not hearing a word that’s spoken.

He tries to turn his attention back to Jen, who’s listing of the main ingredients used for the different smoothie bowls, but is easily distracted by Rhett licking his lips. The hungry look in his eyes is mesmerizing, painting all kinds of lovely pictures in his mind. It’s only when Jen tells one of the bowls is chocolate and peanut butter flavored that his attention snaps back again.

His stomach growls again, almost angrily. Lucky for him Jen is done with her list and the girls leave their table with a ‘Bon apetit!’.

As soon as they are left alone Link grabs a spoon and scoops up a big bite of the chocolate/ peanut butter smoothie bowl, topped with bananas and chocolate. Closing his eyes as the incredible taste hits his tongue he lets out an appreciative moan. He opens his eyes to gush to Rhett about his love for all things with peanut butter, but he’s stopped by the intense look on Rhett’s face.

A second later that look is gone and replaced by an easy smile.  
“That good, huh? Let me try, before you eat it all!”

He shakes it off, sure he’s imagining things.  
“You should definitely taste this now, cause I will eat every last bit of this.. It’s so good!”

-

Link walks over to the counter with his hands full. He and Rhett ate most of the prototype bowls, discussing which one they liked best, dipping in the spoons and licking them off none too subtly. He feels giggly and full, having enjoyed most of the food and all of the company he was with.

Rhett’s following him with the rest of the empty bowls, they wanted to personally thank Lizzie and Jen, and give them their honest opinion. The girls are slicing up fruit together and chatting away, not noticing the arrival of the two men behind them.

“But can you really be a hot dad, even if you’re not actually a dad?”

“I don’t know, man, but.. Oh hi Link, hi Rhett..”

Jen turns around so fast she almost falls of the high stool she’s sitting on, face flaming red. Lizzie is more composed, grinning up at the two men on the other side of the counter.

“How did you like those smoothie bowls, gentlemen?” 

“They were great, Lizzie, we loved them! Good job! If I was your boss I would know what I’d choose. But since that’s his job, I’ll let Link here do the talking..” Having said that Rhett turns towards Link and suddenly there are three pairs of eyes fixed on him. As a nervous reflex he pushes up his glasses, trying not to look up at the expectant grey/ green eyes belonging to the tall man. Instead he makes an effort to look at both Lizzie and Jen, wanting to make sure they get the credit they deserve.

A warm hand lands on his shoulder followed by Rhett’s presence close to his right side. Link turns to face him and mirrors the sincere smile he sees on Rhett’s face.

Both of them pay no attention to the meaningful look passed between Lizzie and Jen. After a couple of moments they break eyecontact and Link can feel the heat in his face as he looks back at his madly grinning employees.

-

It’s unusual for Rhett to stay this long on a friday, or any day for that matter. For the past couple of months he never stayed after 5 PM, so Link always knows when to work around the register ensuring another last chat with his favorite customer.

But right now it’s 5:45 PM and closing time is near.

Link feels on edge, almost ready to go over to Rhett’s table to ask the man why he’s still here. Of course he’s glad the tall blonde hasn’t left yet, happy for the extra smiles that get send his way every so often. But he can almost feel something’s off, an energy buzzing between them, and his crew is noticing the difference too.

Behind the counter a couple of his employees are none too subtly observing Rhett’s behaviour and his reaction to it.

Out of the corner of his eyes he can see Chase walking over to Rhett’s table, almost acting like he would with any other order. Link has to give the young man credit for his mostly professional attitude, even if it’s stemming from curiosity.

He’s still intently watching Rhett, who’s now talking softly with Chase. They both look over to him and he ducks his head down. When he tries to look up, Chase has walked away but Rhett’s still looking at him, sporting a big, slightly smug smile.

Link watches him stand up and walk over to him slowly, smiling and keeping eye contact during the short distance.

He only stops when he’s little more than a foot away from Link and even then he leans in a bit. So close by Link can see the goldenbrown ring in his eyes surrounding the slightly blown pupil. He feels trapped, captivated by Rhett’s gaze and looming figure. For a split second he’s convinced Rhett is going to kiss him, not stopping his head leaning in further, getting even closer to Link’s face.

At the last moment however Rhett tilts his head, aiming his mouth for Link’s exposed ear.

Link shudders as warm breath tickles his ear and he’s not even sure what would’ve been better for his composure, this or a kiss. He almost misses the quiet words Rhett’s speaking close to his ear, so focussed on the sensations alone.

“ … to do it here in front of your employees, but it seems inevitable. They’re quite nosy, Link. But I wanted to ask you if you are free tonight?”

Rhett leans back a bit to see Link’s nervous nod, his adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows thickly.

“Cause I had a really good time with you yesterday and I want to take you out properly. If you’ll let me..”

:Yes! Properly? A date? I should make sure it’s a date this time..:

Rhett stays close for a moment longer, breathing softly, as if he’s aware of Link’s sensitive ears. As he moves back, but only to regain eye contact, Link feels like he can breath again.

His voice is a bit breathless, but it’s not as bad as he feared, he still sounds somewhat in control and not like the puddle of goo he feels like right now. He mirrors Rhett’s volume, all too aware of his extremely interested crew standing a few feet away.

“Yes.. I.. I’ll let you take me out on a date..?””  
He ends the sentence almost like a question, not really sure if he should make the assumption, even now.

“That’s good, Link. Really good. Yes a date!” Rhett’s excited smile is infectious, as he feels his own lips responding, expressing the overjoyous feeling ready to burst out.  
“But I really wanna throw of your way too nosy crew a bit and leave now, okay? You go close the shop and I’ll wait for you down the street. We’ll meet again at that little park and go from there?”

He likes the way Rhett’s thinking. :That will teach them. Those nosy kids!:

He nods again and they share a moment of suppressed amusement. Knowing that his employees, who are not even pretending to work anymore at the moment, are expecting something right now. Together they walk over to the counter, pretending to be oblivious to everyone pretending to be busy with work all of the sudden.

Rhett goes through their usual routine of paying his bill, even going as far as recommending some new documentary on something coffee related. They talk for a couple of minutes about it, trying to keep their poker faces together as the crew whispers furiously behind Link’s back.

As soon as Rhett leaves with a wave and a ‘Have good weekend guys, see ya next week!’, it’s as if a bomb explodes. Everybody’s talking, wanting to be heard above their colleagues, but all asking him the same questions.

“Why did he leave?”, “Did he ask you out?”, “What did he say?”.

Keeping his pokerface and even adding a bit of a scowl he faces his employees. “Come on people, it’s none of your business! But if y'all want to know, Rhett told me he noticed you’re all really nosy and unprofessional.” He tries not to laugh at their disappointed and embarrassed faces.

Stevie steps in to stand beside him, coming in from the side where he hadn’t even seen her standing. She too keeps her face stern and serious as she addresses the crew.

“It’s closing time people, time to actually do some work instead of just harassing your boss.”

As everyone walks away, knowing what to do as their closing routine, Link looks down at the petite blonde next to him. She looks up with a challenging look in her eyes.

“Need help picking an outfit for your date?”  
At that moment he can’t stop the face splitting grin anymore.  
“This will have to do, I’m meeting him in the nearby park directly after closing.”  
Stevie looks impressed, almost like a proud parent smiling up to her way too big kid.  
“Want me to close up then? I’ll handle these idiots while you go meet your man..”

Link gives her a grateful look before deciding to share his bubbling glee with her, scooping her into a big hug.  
“Thanks Stevie, you’re the best! You know I adore you, right..”  
He starts walking away, eager to get to Rhett who’s waiting on him, as Stevie waves a nonchalant arm at him.

“Yeah sure.. now you’re the sweet talker huh? Go and you better tell me everything!” Thinking a little bit better about that statement she adds, “except the gross parts!”

Giving her his most charming smile Link finally steps out of the Mythical Brew, ready for his proper date with Rhett.


	9. Part 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A proper date (at a vegan place?!)

He feels giddy with anticipation, walking fast towards the park down the street, eager to see Rhett again even though it’s literally only been minutes.

His head is still reeling, not sure how they suddenly got to the point of Rhett asking him out for a date. :Maybe last night was intended as a date?: Link mulls this over in his head, not sure if he’d been too cautious, too unsure and ruined a great date opportunity by trying to keep it casual between them. :Maybe I have too much ‘chill’?:

He laughs to himself at the ridiculousness of that, walking faster now that a cluster of trees are in sight. :But maybe they do have a point.. I’m too old to do all of this the right way, to have a crush on a guy and to be dating.. Heck, I didn’t even knew if we were going on a date last night! I still don’t know!:

His anxiety peaks at these thoughts going through his head, now that the floodgates are open his insecurities decide to make an appearance. A sheen of sweat forms on his brow, prickling in his hairline. All of the sudden he’s aware he decided to leave work without even taking a look in the mirror. Groaning to himself, damning his impatience, he rakes a hand through his hair, glad he did wash it this morning so it’s still soft and only a little shiny with hairproduct. Thinking back to Stevie’s remark about his clothing, Link takes in his appearance. Just his normal attire, dark skinny jeans, light sneakers and a soft worn printed shirt. It’s nothing special or fancy, but it will have to do.  
Discreetly he tries to take a sniff of his armpits, checking their freshness. Looking up just in time, he can only just swerve to the right to avoid colliding with a giant shop sign.

He slows down now that he’s near the park, far enough that he can’t really make out any of the people walking around or sitting on the benches. Even if he, rationally thinking, knows he can’t be sure, Link spots Rhett immediately. His tall stature is a dead giveaway, even when sitting down he still makes an imposing figure.  
Taking a moment to really look at the still unaware man sitting some 150 ft away from him, Link feels his anxious mind quieting down. His heart stops racing, his forehead relaxes from the unconscious frown and a small smile tugs at his mouth.  
After a minute he feels calm enough to continue, to meet his waiting date.  
Rhett is tapping away on his phone, sitting on a hard bench under a parklight. His light skinny jeans are worn and hug his long legs. Link likes the light blue button up, but it’s definitely not something new or exceptionally fancy. He knows it’s stupid to be glad someone is not dressed up, but it sets his mind further at ease. 

He enters the park and as Link walks over, Rhett immediately looks up. He finds Link’s eyes effortlessly and Link feels some of the anxious feeling return. :What should I say? What if it’s awkward? Please don’t let it be awkward..!: 

He stops in front of the bench, watching as Rhett hoists his body up from his sitting position. He tries to do so with some grace, but he can’t help the small groan as he straightens up to his full height.  
Link is aware of Rhett’s back problem, they spend an entire morning in Mythical Brew talking about it. He knew Rhett tried to play it down, but sometimes there were days Link could see the pain and discomfort in the other man’s posture.  
But right now, all Link can see on Rhett’s face is a shy but radiant smile. He knows his face has a mirroring smile as he looks back, tilting up his head since they’re standing so close.

“Hi”  
There’s something warm and fluttery doing a dance in his chest and for a second he wonders if that’s his heart that’s making a jump.

“Hi, long time no see..”  
It feels like his face might break from smiling so much, his cheeks almost hurting.

The fluttery thing inside his chest, that may or may not be his heart, is doing a wild rhythmic dance, now that Rhett’s leaning in, bringing his face very close to Link’s own.  
Link closes his eyes as his senses get overwhelmed, Rhett’s earthy smell filling his nose, his warm breath tickling his ear, his soft beard caressing his cheek. Link desperately tries to take it all in, to never forget this glorious moment where he feels surrounded by everything that is this wonderful man.  
Soft lips graze his cheekbone, planting a very sweet and chaste kiss there.

He keeps his eyes closed, trying to prolong the moment even when Rhett’s face is already moving backward. Link feels like a teenage boy again, tingly with happiness and infatuation.

“I like the way you smell.. A lot”

His mouth opened without his permission, and like usually it embarrassed him by saying exactly what is on his mind. He can’t help but giggle at his own embarrassment, the high pitched noise combined with the blush that’s covering his cheeks making him also look like a teenage boy. Rhett looks at him with an amused smile, big eyes twinkling in the semidarkness. Before he can lose his nerve, Link stands on his tiptoes and plants a hasty kiss on Rhett’s own cheek. The almost shocked look that crosses the blonde’s face makes him feel a bit more in control, not like he’s going overboard anytime soon.

“So, where are you taking me?”

-

They’re walking down the street to something called ‘Doomie’s Home Cookin’. Rhett told him he found the restaurant on yelp, where it advertised it’s comfort food and got good reviews. The amicable atmosphere has returned as Rhett is telling him about the crazy guy that he saw in the park before Link arrived. They laugh together almost like lifelong friends, making jokes and sharing beaming smiles. The only real difference is Rhett’s warm hand resting on his lower back.

Link loves talking to Rhett like this, it feels really comfortable trading funny stories and laughing together at life in Los Angeles. Rhett’s baritone laugh is a genuine and infectious, combining perfectly with his own higher sounding breathless giggles.

-

They’re seated at a small table, knees bumping together under the table. Link likes the shy smile Rhett gives him when his hand almost touches Link’s arm which already covers most of the right side of the table. :How can a grown man be this cute? It’s really unfair, I never even stood a chance at resisting this man.. How can anyone not fall in love with him?!: He is once again reminded of Alex’s statement that old people don’t have chill. :Maybe I should ease up a bit.. It’s only kind of our first date.:

When he looks up from his menu and once again catches Rhett’s soft smiling eyes he knows he’s a lost cause, this man has stolen his heart.Underneath the table he deliberately bumps his knee against Rhett’s long leg. When Rhett moves away, trying to make room for Link, he keeps close and follows the movement. A questioning look is send his way, but he only smiles back sweetly as he rests his leg against Rhett. He feels so nice,warm and solid.

As Link looks back down again to the menu he tries to focus on the words, he doesn’t want to look slow when the waiter comes by later and he’s still looking lost in his date’s eyes or playing footsie under the table.  
He is kinda hungry now that he’s thinking about these delicious sounding dishes. Southern fried chicken, pot roast or bbq pulled pork all sound amazingly good.  
Link spots the small print at the bottom of the page, stating that everything on this menu is 100% vegan.

“Did you choose a vegetarian place on purpose?” He whispers like it’s a secret, like they’re the only people in this place who are aware of the fact of its vegetarian cuisine.

Rhett’s face tells a story of its own, eyebrows shooting up as his eyes grow ever bigger.

“You’re kidding me? Everything is meat on here!” They both look around them, squinting at their neighbours plates.

“It says it right here.. Everything a 100% vegan.” He shows Rhett the small notion on the menu. Rhett’s shoulders slump a little bit, he seems disappointed.

“It smells good though..”

“It does smell good. I never eat vegan, but I don’t mind.. Certainly not against it or anything, home cookin sounds good anytime.” Link smiles as he sees Rhett perk up again. :And it’s really all about the company anyway..:

He wants Rhett to make that shy smile again, so he decides to add his thoughts.  
The shy smile looks exceptionally good combined with a rosy blush, so Link vows to make it happen again before the night is over.


	10. Part 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I like how this is going..

Link enjoys himself immensely, the date was and still is a great success. But then again, it wasn’t really a big surprise to him how well they enjoyed each other’s company and could get along. However, their chemistry is really sparkling tonight and Link feels like they’re really at the beginning of something great.

He’s glad they didn’t leave the vegan restaurant in search for something else, instead asking the waiter for recommendations on what to eat there. The food had been delicious and Link is still amazed by the authenticity of the fake fried chicken he ordered.

Rhett ordered the pot roast and seemed to enjoy it just as much as he enjoyed his dish, even if it was a little less special. Link ate heartily of the comfort food, but was more than happy to spare some and feed Rhett some of the tasty pieces of :fake!: chicken. :They even made frickin wooden bones!:

Conversation seemed to flow easily between them, but with a decidedly flirtatious undertone. They talked about music and coffee, shared funny and embarrassing stories from their childhood and somehow they only just discovered they both grew up in North Carolina. They were amazed to learn both their families lived in similar small towns, but miles apart in different county’s.

Everything had been great and not even the distracting coughing coming from behind Rhett could put a damper on the mood. They were actually quite surprised as the man came by their table and turned out to be a waiter with a bad cold. After he left, a shared look was all it took for the two grown men to erupt into giggles behind their hands as they tried to keep it down.

After laughing and talking, while enjoying their vegan dinner, Link felt like he got to know Rhett even more and gained a new appreciation for his handsome and engaging date.

-

After Rhett pays the waiter, leaving a generous tip, they walk outside into the still warm California air. Outside Link gets the idea to take a selfie in front of the restaurant, as he wants to give them a shout out on his Instagram.

As he takes out his iphone and sets up the front camera he looks over at Rhett, who’s fiddling with his own phone.

“You want to join me? Make it a joined selfie? You can share it on your own account if you want to..”

Rhett’s smile lights up his whole face, making his cheeks stand out and his big eyes gleam in the outdoor lighting. He waits while Rhett moves to stand behind him slightly, bending his knees to get into the frame next to Link. The way his head is leaning next to him, smiling sappily at the camera makes him pause for a second longer. He stares at Rhett’s beautiful face on his screen, so close by, only just suppressing the urge to turn his head and kiss him.  
Instead he closes his eyes, breathes deeply and smiles for the picture.

-

Link looks up at the dark sky, disappointed how he can never make out the stars in the city. There’s silence between them, a comfortable silence as they walk side by side, close but not really touching. Every now and then Rhett’s left hand brushes against his own, like he wants to take it but is too shy to do so.

Link looks up at the sweet and gentle giant walking next to him. As it turns out, Rhett is a great person to be wooed by. He’s courteous and sweet, affectionate in a shy way. That he looks like a giant blonde Norse God doesn’t diminish this at all.

It’s contradictory, but Link still likes his gentle manners a lot. It makes him want to grab onto the tall sweet man and never let go. But even he knows that’s probably a bit much, so early on. :Don’t want to scare away this lovely man now, do ya? Keep your grabby hands to yourself, Neal.:

As Rhett’s knuckles brush his hand again, Link can’t help himself and turns his hand. He intercepts the big and slightly clammy hand easily and holds to it. He interweaves his fingers and holds on lightly, giving Rhett the opportunity to break away.

Instead of letting go, Rhett looks down at him with a small smile and wide eyes. For a moment there Link is convinced Rhett is going to kiss him, right there on the pavement. The way the other man is looking at him, holding onto his hand with a strong grip, makes his heart beat faster. They hold each other’s eyes for a long moment, Link tries to communicate with his eyes how he wouldn’t be averse to something happening right then.

But the moment passes without a kiss and Link lets out a soft breath through his nose, relaxing again as they continue walking down the sidewalk, their hands still intertwined between them and wide smiles on their faces.

It’s sometime later that Rhett breaks the silence, the curiosness clear in his voice.

“Can I ask you something? When did you knew you were gay? I know it’s not easy coming out in the South, so did you wait till you moved here?”

“Actually I’m not really gay.” Rhett’s astonished look made Link laugh a little.

“I’m bisexual, but I have a slight preference for men. I’ve had relationships with women in the past, never too long though. But then again, I only had one long relationship. That was with a man, so.. ”

Rhett is listening attentively, so he continues. His sexuality has never been a sore point for him, even with growing up in a small southern town. Link knows he has his his mom and her open world view to thank for that.

“I came out to my mom when I was 18 and going to college. I’d kissed a couple of guys by then, some girls too. She was pretty open minded about it, but I never told my nana or the rest of the family. There was no need for it I guess. By the time I was in a serious relationship with Dan, I already lived here. And I didn’t really want to make a big thing out of it.”

Rhett’s nodding his head, sympathetic to the story he’s telling. Link keeps on talking, not sure about telling more but also glad to talk with someone likeminded. Talking about his past relationship always makes him uncomfortable, the hurt and the betrayal there even after all that time.

“And yeah.. Even though we lived together for over a year I never felt the need to introduce him to my family or something. Good thing too, since he.. well.. uhm.. we broke up. So, how about you?”

“What happened?” Rhett’s looking at him with serious eyes, compassion clearly written on his face. Link tries to make an effort to look like he’s not affected by it, he wants to be honest but also not change the light mood of their date with the story about how his ex cheated on him. He rushes the next part out, like talking faster will get it over more quickly, but he stumbles over his words all the same.

“He.. I found him in our bed with another guy. And really it was kinda my own fault.. I was working all the time, still are actually. Mythical Brew takes up a lot of time and I want to make it a success. But I didn’t put that much effort into the relationship and he just went looking somewhere else I guess..I can’t really blame him.”

They stopped walking, stopping under a streetlight, the harsh light illuminating their faces. Link doesn’t want to think how his face looks right now as he’s retelling the painful way his only serious relationship ended. Rhett is now holding his hand in a strong grip and the intense and almost angry look on Rhett’s face startles him and Link almost takes a step back from the suddenly intimidating sight before him.

“Dammit Link, don’t you ever say that! Don’t try to excuse shitty behaviour like that, especially not by blaming yourself. You have done a wonderful job at setting up Mythical Brew and he should have supported you. He’s a fool for cheating on you!” 

The tears that are forming in Link’s eyes are embarrassing, he blinks hard to clear his vision while his throat is working furiously to get rid of the sudden lump stuck there. He wishes they would’ve stopped at a less illuminated part, sure the bright light is revealing too much of his face.

“I don’t know how anybody could be dumb enough to not fight for you, Link.”

And with that being said, the subject seems closed for now. Rhett keeps the firm grip on his right hand, walking even closer to him while he talks about his own experience about growing up as a gay young man in North Carolina.

Walking beside Rhett’s tall figure, the reassuring hand in his own and the fierce words spoken make Link feel cared for, almost protected. He knows this is only their first real date and maybe he shouldn’t be so invested already and definitely should not be feeling sentimental but he can’t help it.  
:I like how this is going.:


	11. Part 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The perfect end of their perfect date?

Link doesn’t want the night to end, but he knows it is going to now that they’re standing in front of his apartment complex. He’s tempted to ask Rhett to come in, to prolong their date and spend more time together. 

But it’s really kinda late and he is tired after a long day of work and their impromptu date. He also doesn’t want to come on too strong, inviting someone in after a date did send a message, he thinks. A message he’s not sure he should be conveying right now.

:I love for this to go further. But this is special, he’s special. Let’s take it slowly…:

“I had a great time tonight, Rhett. Thank you for that. The vegan restaurant was a good call too.”

He loves how happy Rhett looks, the giant blonde beaming down at him almost like a proud boy getting praise.

“I also had a good time with you, Link. I’m glad you knew it was a date this time.. After last night I wasn’t really sure if I was clear enough in my intentions.”

:So it was a date!:

Link is glad he sees his own sheepish expression mirrored on Rhett’s face, both thinking back to their first and ‘failed’ date last night.

:Dang, so much for keeping it casual. He was asking you out and you were an idiot. He could’ve been more clear, right? Dang it, the crew was right! We don’t know what we’re doing here and we’re both idiots..:

As they’re standing there, close together in the relative darkness of the evening, not speaking anymore but clearly trying to send across some message to the other in their locked gaze. Link feels relieved they got here eventually, even if they are not doing a great job at communicating clearly with each other. So now it’s time to shut their mouths and try again.  
Rhett’s big eyes are soft and almost shy as they’re asking Link a clear and obvious question. The anticipation builds in his body as he squints his eyes, lips curling ever so slightly as he smiles up at the big man standing inches away from him. His nod is almost imperceptible but he knows Rhett got the message as he steps even closer to Link, big hands finding a place on his upper arms.

The shiver that courses through his body has nothing to do with the evening breeze, and everything with the body heat that he can feel radiating of the man standing practically toe to toe with him. Link really has to look up now, laying his head almost in his neck to keep the eye contact he’s not willing to break.

After a couple of seconds where they just stand close, looking into each other’s eyes, Link has had enough. As much as he likes this, the build up doing wonderful things to his nerve endings, he’s never been a patient man. And besides, the way he has to look up at Rhett is giving him a crick in his neck.

:He owes me so many massages if I have to look up at him all the time..:

He snakes his hands up between their bodies, placing his right hand on Rhett’s neck as a way to bring the giant more to his own height. Rhett complies easily, bending down until he’s nearly face to face with Link. Link doesn’t want to wait anymore, no longer happy to wait for Rhett to take the next step so he takes the matter into his own hands.

Their first kiss is clumsy and not at all how he hoped it would be. In his haste to get to the next step, Link half misses Rhett’s mouth and plants a kiss on the bristly beard next to waiting lips. As he moves back to try again with better aim, he makes the mistake of looking at the rest of Rhett’s face. Rhett’s eyes are twinkling with joy and he’s clearly holding back laughter. As their eyes lock again, a small giggle escapes from Link himself while an embarrassed blush warms his cheeks. Rhett is still looking at him with contained mirth, his eyebrow lifting with a hint of smugness while he holds his gaze. Link can’t help but think Rhett looks really hot like this, his earlier shyness completely gone and obviously much more in control than Link at the moment.

Before he can comment on the sexy change or smack him on the chest in mock annoyance, Rhett brings up his hands to Link’s cheeks. His laughter falls away as he’s completely surrounded by Rhett, big hands steering him, gently tilting his head up for easier access. 

Their second kiss is much better and actually a kiss, Rhett’s lips finding his own as if he’s done so hundred times before. They move together comfortably, both eagerly responding to the other. They kiss sweetly like this for a long time, standing close together and for a moment that is all they need.

Link doesn’t know who deepens the kiss, but he’s almost sure it’s him. He’s desperate to get closer to Rhett, wants to get to know him better and share more with him. The kiss grows more passionate as their tongues find each other and they explore the new territory with much enthusiasm. The mood changes drastically, suddenly there are hands finding their way into soft hair and underneath tight shirts. Link feels breathless and heated and he doesn’t want to stop, even as his lungs scream at him for air after a short while.

They are both breathing deeply as they finally part, pausing their kiss but still standing close. His hand is tracing shapes on Rhett’s lower back, keeping the man close to him, not willing to let go even as his mind berates him for losing his cool.

:Easy now buddy, calm down. No need to get so worked up. Remember, slowly..:

Rhett’s hooded and intense eyes short circuit something in his brain, most likely his rational thought and the decision making part. But then again, his mouth speaks regularly without his permission.

“I want you to come with me and never leave again.”

He shocks himself with this too intense statement and he backtracks almost immediately, extracting his hands at the same time. “Gosh, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I just.. I don’t want the night to end and I.. Crap..”

He takes a deep breath to start over, but feels dismayed as Rhett backs down a bit.

:Way to go, idiot. Slow, my ass! Why don’t you just propose marriage to the guy. Excellent idea to scare him off!:

He doesn’t want to look at Rhett, sure the other man will run away screaming any moment now. The anxious feeling in his stomach makes him nauseous and he hates how close he feels to crying at his own stupidity. A gentle finger under his chin lifts his head up, directing his gaze back to Rhett’s gentle face. Link makes some feeble attempts to speak first but Rhett shushes him.

“I would love to come up with you right now, Link. I don’t think you know how much I want to. But I think we need to do this the right way, take it a bit more slowly than that. We’re starting something and I want to do it right, so that when I come with you I don’t ever have to leave again.. Do you understand?”

His intense eyes seem desperate to convey their earnest message, willing Link to understand what he’s saying.

“Do you understand why it’s better that I leave and not come up with you right now?”

Link nods, understanding and agreeing with Rhett on this. He swallows down the lump in his throat, again, his goozle bobbing nervously as he tries to get himself back in control.

Even if he did get carried away there, he understands what Rhett is saying. He too feels like they’re at the start of something good and life changing here and he doesn’t want to mess it up by rushing it. 

His mind floods with ideas how good they could be together, how good their life together could be when done right. For a split second he feels impatient and frustrated, eager to get to the good part and too impatient to wait for it. He wants to move along to the place where they live together, share their bed in many passionate nights and sharing all the intimacy of a good relationship.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to clear his head. Opening his eyes, he finds Rhett’s patient face again.

“You’re right, Rhett.”

The kiss that follows can only be described as sweet and loving. Link feels cherished in Rhett’s warm embrace as his mouth lingers on him for a long moment. Rhett rests his forehead against him when he breaks the kiss and for a while they just breathe together. The moment feels significant, like something out of a movie, like there should be playing love songs in the background that showcase their beginning love. He shakes his head as he moves away, trying to get rid of the ridiculously cheesy image.  
Link’s voice is surprisingly clear and strong as he speaks, trying to go for light and funny.

“If you’re not coming in, you better go now, Rhett. Before I drag you in there myself and have my way with you..”

Their laughter breaks the intense moment, succeeding in returning the lighter mood from before. For now everything is good, their date a success and they’re both ready to let the night end on that high note.

Link is still smiling as he turns back to his door, patting down his jeans to find his keys.

“Goodnight Link.”

He turns around to smile and wave at Rhett’s retreating form.  
“Good night Rhett. Get home safe.”


	12. Part 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could Rhett get any more fluffy and cute? Yes!

Letting himself in, Link takes off his shoes and dumps his keys somewhere close by. With a big dreamy sigh he plops down on the couch, where he stares at the ceiling without really seeing it. He debates with himself if he should text Rhett already.

:I should text to let him know I had a good time.. or ask if he’s gotten home safe already..:

Feeling giddy but also a bit silly he takes out his phone and it’s almost like he’s back in middle school just returning from the movies after his first date ever. Back then his mother had pushed his younger anxious self to call the girl to tell her he had a good time. He likes to think he’s evolved past that and is no longer that anxious schoolboy, but right now he doesn’t feel too sure of that.

:It’s so long ago I last did this! Should I wait for him to text me or should I text first? Ugh, I really don’t want to play any of those mind games..:

Link knows for sure he wanted to be honest and direct about his feelings for Rhett. But at the same time he is aware that there’s a distinct possibility of coming on too strong, especially if he just acts on his impulses and doesn’t think things through. Through the younger people in his crew and their numerous date stories, he knows it’s not a good thing to show all your cards early in the game.  
Pocketing his phone again he stands up from the couch, with an almost unconscious routine he pushes up his glasses and then sweeps a hand through his hair. He can think about what to send to Rhett while getting ready for bed.

All through his night routine, brushing his teeth, using the toilet and changing into a nightshirt, he thinks of different messages to send. Almost as soon as he thinks of something he discards it again, not deeming them good enough. When Link’s ready with his routine and sits with his pillow behind his back against his headboard, he still has no idea what to text.

:Something cool and funny? Or something sweet? Maybe I can tell him how nice it is to get to know him better. Or I can tell him how good that kiss was..:

For a couple of second he’s zoning out, thinking back to their first kisses. Or at least he hopes they’re the first, first of many kisses. The soft buzz coming from the phone resting in his hands brings his attention back.

{:I made it safe to my place! I really had a great time with you tonight!:}

Link is grinning wide, he loves how Rhett is apparently not concerned at all with acting cool or casual. The message seems eager but also very honest.  
:We can be uncool old people together then!:

He decides to not think too much, as he lets his fingers fly over the keyboard to respond immediately, hoping to prolong their conversation via text some more before sleep. Even though the butterflies in his stomach make his fingers feel even more jittery than normal.

{:Had a great time too, Rhett. Glad you made it home safe! No scary men on the way over? ;):}

Smiling down to the phone in his hands he waits for the response, anticipating as he sees the dots dancing on the bottom of the screen. 

{:Hahaha no, I think some people actually thought I was the scary man in the dark!:}

Link lets out a hard laugh at that. Even if Rhett does look intimidating with his extreme height, especially if he’s frowning, he could never think of the man as scary. As far as he knew the gentle giant, he didn’t have a bad bone in his body.

{:Well you do look pretty intimidating, but..:}  
{:But?:}  
{:I know that you’re really just a big fluffy kitten! :} 

Link can almost hear the indignant noise Rhett surely is making.

{:I’m a big and intimidating man, not a fluffy kitten! I’m 6”7! People shy away from me when I walk back home in the dark!:}  
{:A 6”7 tall fluffy kitten then..:}  
{:Between the two of us, you’re surely more like a kitten! Tiny and cute..:}  
{:I’m not cute.. And certainly not tiny! Only next to you maybe..:}  
{:Yes you are cute! And I like how tiny you are next to me. I feel like I could totally cover you up with my big intimidating body ;) :}

Link can feel his cheeks burning, blushing from the compliments and the image Rhett is painting. He isn’t even sure Rhett knows how not innocent that sounds. Or how much Link likes that image, Rhett’s big body covering his own, big hands holding on to his much smaller ones. He blows out a hard breath, steadying himself before he types a response.

{:That’s quite a picture you’re painting here, Rhett. I like that a lot too.. But I bet I can take you on in a wrestling match. What I lack in body size I make up in fiery spirit!:}

He can’t help but to taunt Rhett a bit, the way the other man is flirting with him makes him thinks he can get away with it. He is definitely doubting his earlier willingness to let the man go home. 

{:Still sure of your decision to go home?:}  
{:Kinda regretting that right now..:}

He feels warm all over now, glad he’s not alone in thinking along these lines. He knows they could have a lot of fun together, even when they’re apart and only connected via phone.  
Once again Link debating with himself on what he should do. There’s a small window of opportunity here and he’s not sure he or they should take it any further. He remembers Rhett’s sweet words from earlier, about doing this the right way. And he still agrees with that, the sentiment of starting something important like this the right way, really striking something inside him.

:And even I know sexting after the first date is really not doing it the right way..:

So instead of all the more cheeky or daring retorts that are going through his mind, he just texts Rhett back something sweet. Link hopes he takes the hint and understands his reasoning.

{:I thought it was very courteous of you, I like that in a man :}  
{:Well, I am a gentleman after all..:}  
{:I thought you were a 6”7 intimidating man ;) :}  
{:I’m a big intimidating gentleman, who’s kindly courting you.. :}  
{:Hmmm, I like that image too:}

Link is giggling, the earlier mood completely forgotten and only sweetness and silliness in its place. He can’t help himself, the visual in his head is too funny but at the same time strangely enticing. Picturing Rhett in victorian era gear, top hat to make him even taller. Courting him like he’s some kind of dame. The images that fill his mind are as ridiculous as they are wonderful.

{:Hahahaha. I think it’s time to call it a night..:}

As if on cue his mouth opens for a big jawn and suddenly Link realises how tired he actually is. It’s been a long day, surely very nice and exciting but still tiring. Now that the first jawn broke free, he can’t seem to stop. He’s rubbing his eyes, willing them to stay open for a little while longer as he slowly types something back. 

{:I think you’re right. Good night Rhett. I really had a great time.:}  
{:Me too, Link. Hope we’ll do it again, sometime soon?:}

Link settles down on his mattress, laying down fully with his head on his pillow. He can’t leave the man hanging, the semi casual question for another date makes him feel fuzzy with happy feelings. Of course he wants to do that again, as soon as possible.

{: We will, soon! Sweet dreams Rhett.:}  
{:You too, Link:}

-

Link is slow to wake up, the midmorning sun waking him up instead of his usual early alarm. He stays in bed for a couple of minutes, stretching his relaxed body and just enjoying his comfy bed. Saturdays are his only real day off, leaving Mythical Brew in Stevie’s capable hands. But even then he often goes by somewhere during the day, just checking in and grabbing a coffee.

Making a mental note to make that his only plan for the day, he gets up and walks over to the bathroom. He takes his time in the shower, whistling under the warm water while cleaning himself. Feeling exceptionally carefree and light this morning he keeps whistling as he goes through the rest of his morning routine.

He picks a simple light blue shirt and black pants, opting for comfort on his free day.  
As he plops down on his couch with some cereal in his hands he goes through his phone, opening the notifications. The only thing that’s catching his eye are the notifications from Instagram. Thinking back to his latest updated photo the fuzzy butterflies return to his stomach. Apparently his photo from last night, the selfie with Rhett, got a lot of comments and likes.

The warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach grows as he stares for a long time a the photo, their smiling faces pressed close together to fit in the frame, Rhett hunched lower to get to his height. Scrolling down he sees the comments underneath the photo, some from his friends but mostly from his employees. He laughs at the enthusiastic, but indignant tone of their comments.  
I knew it!/ Finally!/ Not a date hah?!/Just thank us later!

But the one that really has him laughing out loud is Alex’s comment, combined with a winking emoji: Old people dating #kindasweet #butnochill #waytogoboss!

Link vows to himself to respond to the next photo Alex posts of himself with Mike somewhere in the frame. Normally he wouldn’t tease his employees so much, but the young barista really deserves some kind of comeback. He will think of something funny to get back to the cheeky young man.  
Finished with his cereal and ready to head out, he searches for his jacket and his keys. He walks around his living room and even looks into his bedroom, before he remembers he left his jacket at the coffee shop last night in his haste to get to Rhett.

Now only looking for his lost keys he gets distracted by a new notification from his phone. Curious, Link gets out his phone to check it and feels his heart beat a ridiculously happy and fast rhythm. He’d set soundcloud to alert him whenever Rhett uploaded a new song to his account, his latest upload from this morning is titled ‘For Link’. Hastily opening the app, he plugs in his earphones and is greeted by Rhett’s beautiful voice singing to him.

Standing the middle of his living room, with tears flooding his eyes, Link listens to the song, rewinding it multiple times as he listens to the sweet words over and over again.

“I like your toothy smile/  
It never fails to beguile/  
Whichever way the wind is blowing/  
I like the way this is going/  
I like the colour of your hair/  
I think we make a handsome pair/  
I can only see my love growing/  
I like the way this is going/  
I like to stay up all night with you/  
There’s really nothing, that I would rather do/  
Then maybe we can go to sleep/  
Get up and do it all again/  
I like the way your pants fit/  
And how you stand and how you sit/  
Whatever seeds that you’re sowing/  
I like the way this is going/  
I don’t care about the past/  
None of it was made to last/  
It’s not who you know, but who you’re knowing/  
I like the way this is going/  
I can only see my love growing/  
I like the way this is going”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The words from Rhett's song are almost entirely from: Eels "I like the way this is going"  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUwIMJfghmM


	13. Part 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting the crew involved.

I can only see my love growing/  
I like the way this is going”

After his third time listening Link rubs his eyes, wiping away the tears. He still can’t believe the words he’s hearing, the words of love Rhett sweet baritone is singing to him, for him. It’s only after his fifth time rewinding that he closes soundcloud and opens up his messaging app.

Link types for a long time, not really rereading or rewriting anything before he hits send. It can be dangerous to act so impulsively, but how can he not after such a blatant gesture from Rhett. He knows he can be too impulsive and sometimes he can be a dumb speaker, sharing more information than he should. But this feels right, he wants to be honest with Rhett and definitely not play any games with the sweetest man he’s ever dated.

He likes the man, he likes him a lot and if he’s honest to himself he can say that he’s in love with Rhett. Head over heels in love.

Waiting a respectable time to plan for a second date seems stupid and a waste of time. He wants to spend more time together, preferably sooner than later. Meeting Rhett right now seems like the best plan Link has had recently.

His heart is beating fast and his hands are shaky as he waits for a response. He hopes Rhett is near his phone, he doesn’t know if he can handle waiting too long after sending that text message.

:He could be busy.. Working or taking a shower..: The mental picture of the tall blonde standing in the shower keeps him distracted for a hot minute. 

As his iphone screen lights up he expects a message notification, but instead he sees an incoming call from Rhett.

“Hello?”

“Hey Link, It’s Rhett! I ah.. wanted to.. I thought a call would be easier to respond to your message?”

Link feels nervous, even though Rhett’s interest has been very clear, especially since last night. He doesn’t know if the other man will appreciate his candid approach and he hopes he hasn’t scared him off. He makes some sort of affirming noise, not sure if he can trust his voice at the moment. Rhett goes on, his own voice a little shaky, not with nervousness but with enthusiasm.

“I’m really happy you liked my song, I wrote it last night after our.. Uh conversation on the phone. And I’m glad you texted me, I actually wanted to ask you the same thing. You are free today right? Do you want to meet up somewhere? I’m free at the moment, the whole day actually.. We could plan that second date if you want!”

Relief and happiness wash through Link and the resulting lightness makes him giggly. He tries to suppress it, not wanting to give Rhett the wrong idea, that he’s laughing at him or something, but he’s only half successful. Even with his hand in front of his mouth, some of his laughter bubbles out and travels over the phone to Rhett.

“Are you.. Are you laughing? Link?”

He can hear the smile in Rhett’s voice, unsure but still responding to Link’s infectious giggles. Link can’t answer the question, mainly because he’s laughing for real now. It feels freeing and awkward at the same time, barely having talked on the phone but giggling like crazy. However, soon they’re both laughing happily, separated by by distance but sharing the moment over the phone. It feels good to laugh with Rhett about nothing, just shared happiness, and it really helps in dissipating his nervous energy.  
The smile on Link’s face is still huge when he can finally answer.

“You just made me a really happy man, Rhett. And yes, I’d love to meet up today. You want to come to the Mythical Brew? I was on my way there, just to check up and get a coffee. But we could make a date out of it?”

The response is immediate and enthusiastic.

“That’s a great idea! Should I meet you there or do you want me to pick you up? We can walk over together, you’re on my route..”

“Actually I need to take care of some things first, set some things up, if you don’t mind we can meet there in about an hour?”

“Oh. Okay. Well sure, of course. I’ll see you in an hour then. Bye Link.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Rhett. Bye!”

Link can hear the slight disappointment in Rhett’s voice and he himself feels a little bit disappointed too, even if the decision was his to make. He wants to spend as much time with Rhett as soon as possible, but also wants to get this right and surprise him for their second date. Especially after that extremely romantic gesture of singing a love song for him, Link feels like he has to do something special in return.

Link’s head is already spinning with ideas as he opens his door and walks the short distance to Mythical Brew

-

“Hey boss!”

He’s greeted with an enthusiastic welcome from the working crew. Link thanks his timing as the coffee shop is generally quiet this late in the morning. For his plan he needs his crew, their creative minds and their hands to make it all happen on such short notice.

“Stevie, hi! Can you call in a mini meeting? It won’t be long.”

It’s to Stevie’s testament she doesn’t blink twice at his request.

“Sure Link, you want just the regulars? So the parttimers can run the shop? We got Eddie, Jen, Lizzie and Chase.”

“They’ll do. Yes, thank you Stevie. In the breakroom?”

Link watches with a grateful grin and barely contained energy as his floor manager rounds up a couple of key crewmembers and hustles them to their breakroom. While he’s watching, several parttime crewmembers come up to him, congratulating him on his date last night. Everybody seems to be genuinely happy for him and the overall sentiment is ‘finally!’. He’s amazed at how fast word travels around here and how they all seem to be invested in his personal life.  
He’s talking to Drew, one of the weekend barista’s, as Stevie approaches him again. The tiny blonde woman looks up at him expectantly.

“They’re all waiting for you, boss.” She turns to address the man standing next to Link. “You have the floor, Drew. Alert me if anything happens.” 

She takes Link by the arm as they walk over to their waiting crew.  
“So.. I take it the date went well?”

Link knows his sappy grin speaks for itself as Stevie continues.

“And this has something to do with the big man, I suppose?”

He loves how Stevie is on top of everything, how she just knows how his head works and how she adjusts to work with it. It’s so obvious she cares and he loves her for it.  
Before they open the door to the breakroom Link stops Stevie with a gentle hand on her shoulder and looks her straight in the eye. She looks back at him with wary eyes, but a small smile dances on her lips.

“You are the best, Stevie. Really, the best.”

Link shares a laden emotional moment with his longtime manager, who turned out to be a really great friend. The thoughts that he tries to convey to her are only marginally professional, but mostly affectionate. He knows he will never manage to speak these words aloud so it’s of the utmost importance she understands what he’s trying to say here.

:Dang, that girl is special. What would I do without her. I wish I could convey how much I care for her and how much she’s appreciated.:

The moment breaks as Stevie punches him lightly on the shoulder, jarring him with the unexpected fist. With an bewildered look he takes a step back before finding Stevie’s eyes again. They both pretend not to notice the tears Stevie is wiping away with fast motions.

“Come on now, boss. No need to get all mushy on me! Now, what’s this meeting all about?”

As they walk inside the break room together Link grins his most boyish and charming smile, directing his attention to their waiting crewmembers.

“I need all your help to set up the best second date ever.. in the next 45 minutes!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovely readers! 
> 
> Just wanted to give you a heads up that this story is almost at its end.  
> I have their 2nd date planned out and it's sweet and romantic and giving me a toothache with all the fluff!  
> But after that..  
> Please let me know what you think, I love your sweet comments <3 They always make me smile!
> 
> Thank you,  
> Love Natas


	14. Part 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best date yet, made possible by the Mythical crew.

Link knows he’s made the right choice in asking his crew for help in making this date amazing. For once he should get something good from their nosy and interfering attitudes, even if it’s expectedly paired with lots of teasing and many winks thrown his way.  
He honestly doesn’t even mind that much, as right now he feels too excited for the upcoming date to even care about the semi permanent blush staining his cheeks from the good natured banter going around in the break room.

In a more general sense Link enjoys the informal relationship he has with his employees, the way they feel like they could say almost anything to him and laugh with him, or even at him. He always felt the need to keep the distance between them short and personal, without losing the boss position when he really needed it.  
It’s with moments like these, that he’s glad he can share something like this with his crew, the people he sees almost every day and are a big part of his daily life. They know him, they know Rhett, and they’re all cheering for their budding romance. It feels nice to not have to plan something like this all by himself and by the enthusiastic looks on their faces, the crew seems to agree.

“We could set up something special in the back? There’s not exactly that much privacy in the shop.. Wouldn’t want to scare customers away!”

Link wants to speak up and try to deny needing privacy, but there is definitely some truth to Jen’s statement. :The exaggerated wink is not really necessary though..:

Someone suggests using the office, setting up something romantic, but Stevie sputters at this, almost comical in her exaggerated aversion to the idea.

“No way, you’re not using our office for your date! I don’t want or need the image of you two making out on the couch or anything.. I need to get work done there!”

The crew gathered around them laughs uproariously at this, agreeing with Stevie that they might need a different place if there’s making out involved in the date. And they all seem to agree making out is the very least Link can expect. Some funny comments at his expense are made and after Eddie asks him how much progress they already made Link is laughing just as hard, even if his ears are red tipped with embarrassment.

“You do know what the third date means right? You definitely need some privacy, boss.”

Link winces a bit at Jen’s shoulder clap, still laughing and enjoying the lighthearted atmosphere around him.

“It’s still the second date, guys! How can it be the third date if I didn’t even know the first time was a date or even meant as one?!”

Everybody’s talking at once, giving their opinion on the matter and generally agreeing that no matter what he’s saying it’s the third date for them. Link tries to make them see his reasoning by quits trying as they make some compelling arguments.

It’s Stevie who brings an end to the discussion, cutting in and getting their heads right back on topic with a great idea for a private location.

“We could set you guys up on our rooftop terrace?”

Their little rooftop terrace isn’t that much, just a couple of square feet fenced on two sides and set up with a big parasol to keep the sun out. At one point they actually meant to use it as a hangout place for the crew, so Stevie spent a day painting one of the walls in a nice black and white pattern. But in the end it never really stuck, mainly because of the of rickety fire stairs leading to the roof as the only way to get up there.  
Link could see it work, if they clean it up and bring up some of the big cushions they have laying around in the back he can imagine it really can be a nice and private place to have his date with Rhett. And it seems the rest of the crew agrees, already moving on to the next point of creating a romantic atmosphere.

“We could set up the table, set up some nice drinks and food. We definitely need good food!” “And music!” “I have a good playlist for this, something romantic.. I can set up my ipod.” “I bet you do Chase!” “We could do brunch. I have some really nice summer fruit spring rolls in the cooler, they could work. And if we have time I could make something fresh if you want anything else..” “I have this great recipe for buffalo chicken cupcakes if you want, Lizzie. It’s real easy to make, if we get going now we’ll have them ready when the big man arrives.” “Great idea, Eddie and Lizzie. You go prepare food for brunch. Jen, you and Chase get the pillows and sheets from the storage. We’ll get it up the roof together.”

Stevie tells them all to go and make it work, they have a lot to do in little time. Everybody scrambles away, thrilled to help and work on something like this for two people they like, to be involved with something special like their date.  
To get the rooftop terrace presentable they will have to work hard and do it in record time. As they get ready to leave the break room, Stevie catches Link’s eye and smiles a genuine smile. In that small smile they share a little moment of happiness about the upcoming events, but also happiness to work alongside these amazing and honestly good people.

-

Stevie pops her head up over the side of the building and looks at Link and Chase working out the last details on the terrace. Chase seems in total control, while Link is apparently trying to follow his instructions on how to best fasten the white sheet in his hands to the side of the wooden fence. When Stevie speaks up, mentioning Rhett’s arrival in a loud voice, Link startles badly and almost rips the white sheet as he trips over his own feet. Stevie and Chase laugh at that, nothing too malicious, prompting Link to laugh nervously at his own clumsiness too. He straightens up and frees his sneaker from the twisted fabric.

“Stevie! It’s time already?! I’m not ready yet! I need to freshen up a bit first, I’m sweating like a pig..”

To illustrate his words he shows Stevie and Chase his moist armpits and can’t help but laugh at their disgusted faces.

“Can you stall him for a little bit? We’re almost ready here..”

Chase interrupts him with a cheeky grin.

“You go downstairs boss, I’ll finish up here. Probably faster anyway.. It’ll be ready when you’re ready to come up here.”

The grin gets even cheekier as Link shoots him a warning glare but Link sighs in defeat. :He’s probably right, cheeky little..:

-

In the small bathroom Link takes of his sweaty shirt, bunching it up as he throws it to the side. He takes of his glasses and splashes his face with cold water. Careful to not screw up his hair, he scrubs down his neck and washes the accumulated sweat from his armpits and chest.

Feeling refreshed he walks over to the office bare chested, the small towel in his hand getting damp fast as he dries himself a little. Link rummages through his desk, hoping he still has his short sleeved blue button up laying around there somewhere.  
:That one that really makes my eyes pop.. The girls all commented on it, it must look nice then.. I hope Rhett thinks it looks nice, I really want to look good for him, I bet he looks gorgeous again today.. I don’t want to look like I didn’t put in any effort! Dang, where is it?!:

Link doesn’t notice the door opening behind him or the man stepping inside, taking in the bent over figure from his vantage point with admiring eyes. Rhett is still standing in the door opening, smiling a big sappy smile as Link turns around with his found shirt in his hand.  
The smile quickly disappears, his mouth falling open, as he takes note of Link’s barely clothed figure and his shocked expression.

“Uhmm.. Stevie said I should come back here and wait for you?”  
Rhett’s gaze flicks down to Link’s bare chest repeatedly, his eyes drawn to it even as he struggles, and fails, to keep eye contact with Link.

Link is caught of guard, his forgotten shirt still in his hand, wrinkling in his anxious hands. He’s just standing there, mesmerized by Rhett’s fascinated face as they finally lock eyes from across the room. When Rhett moves, crossing the short distance with a couple of long strides, Link is prepared and he braces himself against his desk behind him.  
The solid wood from his sturdy desk grounds him somewhat as Rhett swoops down, cups his cheeks and delivers a breathtaking kiss. For several long moments their lips are locked, Rhett standing close inside Link’s personal space as he crowds him up further against his desk.  
:Well.. Hello! If this is how we greet each other from now on.. I’ll have no problem with that!:

When Rhett moves back and does mumble a gruff ‘hello’, Link surges back up and kisses Rhett again with gusto. This kiss is passionate right from the start. Where the other kiss was almost sweet and maybe even loving, this one is hard and heady. Lips are parting instantly and tongues find each other in a passionate embrace. An embrace that’s mirrored with the rest of them, as Rhett steps inside the v of Link’s legs, getting as close as possible.

With Rhett’s sheer length and the necessity of keeping their mouths locked, this means Link has to move back on his desk, practically laying down on top. They never break apart as Rhett follows him down easily. Stuff is clattering to the ground, something heavy making a dull sound as it crashes over the edge of the desk.

:Crap! I’ll need to clean that up. Is that my..:  
Rhett’s hand stroking down his bare side effectively shuts up his too practical side, keeping him in the present and not thinking about the mess they’re creating. One of Rhett’s big hands is supporting his shoulders, keeping him close to Rhett’s chest as his mouth travels down lower to Link’s neck to lick and kiss and bite on the flushed skin there.

The outraged gasp coming from the open door, followed by an angry shout in which Link easily recognizes Stevie, makes them spring apart like guilty teenagers caught in the act.

“Dammit Link! No! Not in the office! I told you have to work here! And you too, Rhett! No! This is bad!”

Link looks over at the big man standing beside him, a nice looking blush covering his cheeks and a guilty look in his eye. He can’t help but giggle which soon turns into full sized laughter as Rhett looks at him with big and almost scared eyes. He’s clearly impressed by Stevie’s outburst, looking the part of the teenager caught making out with his boyfriend in the living room.  
The mental image of them as randy teenagers and Stevie as his mom makes him laugh so hard Link has tears in his eyes. Rhett is clearly confused by his laughter and still looking impressed by Stevie’s outraged demeanor, but now a little smile is dancing around his lips too.

“Gosh mom.. We’re sorry! We’ll go upstairs to my room!”

-

“Link..”

Link looks up at Rhett’s amazed face and he has to admit the sight before them does look stunning. They worked hard on this and apparently Chase put in some romantic final details after he left, the blooming flowers a nice touch.

Big fluffy pillows form a nice cosy sitting area, a low table nearby laden with food and flowers. Something soft and melodic is coming from the speakers set some distance away. It looks incredibly romantic and Link is glad they pulled it off. He couldn’t have done it without the help of his crew, nothing this good at least.

Rhett’s face is doing some wonderful things as he takes in the scene before him, his cheeks puffing up with the enormous smile on his lips, his eyes shining with amazement. As Rhett turns to look at him, Link looks away, shy all of the sudden and feeling a bit anxious under Rhett’s intense stare.  
:This is not too much right? Gosh.. :

“This is amazing, Link! You did all this? For me? For our date?”

The wonder in his voice, the unmistakable excitement makes Link look back up again and the two men lock eyes.

“I, ah, had some help. From the crew, Chase, Lizzie.. They did most. I just.. wanted this to be nice, something special. Your song was amazing, so..”

He trails of ad Rhett’s hand slips inside his own, squeezing his fingers a bit as he tugs him closer.

“I love it, Link. Thank you.. How can I pay you back?”

The happy twinkle in Rhett’s big eyes does something funny to his chest, makes it feel fluttery and constricted at the same time. This man before him, looking at Link like he’s the best thing ever, he makes his heart beat so fast and makes his arms break out in goosebumps. Rhett is the man Link wants to share so many moments with, starting here with their date on the rooftop of Mythical Brew.

Link breaks out his best cheeky grin, cocking his head as he answers Rhett’s rhetorical question.  
“I have some elaborate ideas on how to do that.. It might take a while, so we better sit down. It might get a little..ah.. personal..”

Rhett breaks his intense stare, his delighted face changing as he looks down at Link’s mouth. Link bites his bottom lip, not quite unconsciously enough to be innocent, but enticing either way. Link takes advantage of Rhett’s dazed state and tugs him to the cushions, gently manoeuvring them to sit down.  
They sit close together, upper legs touching and knees intertwined. Their eyes find each other and everything comes to a standstill. No words are spoken or needed between the two of them.

It’s really a short moment actually, a shared look and a crooked smile, but it feels like something significant is being communicated between them.  
:I like you a lot.: :I like you too, let’s do this.: :Yes.:

The kiss that follows is much tamer compared to their earlier making out in the office, not fuelled by want but by excitement for something new, by a new love.

The kiss doesn’t go on for long, Rhett’s grumbling stomach making itself known and they part with an easy laugh. The food set on the nearby table looks and smells delicious, Link knows it would be a shame to waste.  
As they dig in to their brunch, they never move away very far, sitting entangled, enjoying coffee, brown sugar pie and savoury muffins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it.. the last part of Mythical Brew.
> 
> I hope you liked my take on the rhink coffeeshop au..  
> At least I had a lot of fun writing these two dorks in love! 
> 
> Thank you all for sticking around!  
> So please, let me know what you guys and girls think! I love the feedback so much!


End file.
